Soul Fighters
by solusssss
Summary: AU. Great evil is born in the darkness, and it yearns to take over. Heroes are born from the light to protect and to fight back. It is their duty as Soul Fighters to defend humanity and all the other gracious beings from the demons that reside in the shadows. Without their parents to fight for them, Dipper must become a Soul Fighter to protect his friends, great uncles, and Mabel.
1. Chapter 1

**HI!**

 **I'll be starting this new story and try to update as much as I can until the finish! I'll attempt at making this interesting and satisfying, probably heart-wrenching and all in all lovely. (I will most likely fail; kappa.)**

 **Also, this AU is loosely based off of Steven Universe and Soul Eater. Meaning that I have created this AU from the strangeness of my mind!**

 **The story itself will be inspired by SAO, a bit of Naruto and a bit of Bleach. However, it is not directly taken from the shows, so please do not worry if you have never watched any of these. But, please do enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls or any of the shows mentioned above!**

* * *

Sunlight glared into the window, causing Dipper to squint as he observed the blurry motion. His sister leaned against him, snoring and cringing often, much to the vexation of the bus driver. There was no one else on board to bother them, allowing him to ponder in silence. It's been such a long time since they've seen their great uncles, yet they've never gotten a chance to actually visit the wondrous town called Gravity Falls. He has heard quite a lot about it, however. Prone to attracting the strange creatures of the world, and possessed one of the most notable academies, for reasons unbeknownst to him. He sighed, hoping that this would be a good change for them, especially after their most recent loss. He briefly wondered if his parents ever stayed in Gravity Falls before, and what they would think of it. Living in a small city full of industries and common businesses was definitely different than living in a hick town.

"This is your stop, ya runts."

The doors opened with a hiss. Attempting to shake his sister to rise, Mabel smacked him with an annoyed expression. Dipper twitched his eye, "We have to get off."

"I know," She smirked at him, fully awake. He frowned deeply.

Mabel snatched her luggage and skipped to the exit, waving at the driver, "Thanks!"

"Don't mention it," He surveyed the area with a sneer, " _ever_."

Dipper hopped off the vehicle with his own luggage in hand. The doors shut abruptly, eliciting a jump of alarm from the pair. The bus left a dirt cloud in its wake as it drove off speedily. The twelve-year-old twin brunettes coughed temporarily before they looked around at their new surroundings. There were pine trees and more pine trees, filtering the light of the setting sun. The small noises of rustling grass and leaves made the atmosphere significantly more refreshing and crisp. Both of them eyed the visible dirt road that led to the town they were dropped off at. Gravity Falls was quite cut-off from the rest of the state, making it a little less modern than the rest of the nation, yet it was still told to have more of the unnatural occurrences. Nonetheless, it would be their new home.

"This is gonna be waaay different from our old home, right, Dipper?" Mabel was fascinated with the unfamiliar scenery as they waited for their relative to appear. "I bet there is gonna be a lot of cool stuff to do! Some new people to meet... oh! Friends! New friends!"

The boy only rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed with the sight or the imminent encounters. It was only a small town, after all. Even though there was a fine academy here and a little bit more creatures to show, it was nothing grand. This town was just about as normal as the rest of the world. Ignorant to this, she kept examining every detail of the grass and trees, in awe of this vivid, overgrowing nature. Mabel always was the one who would attempt to eliminate her boredom in any way possible. Albeit they were twins, they were very different in personality. The only things that interested him was the supernatural tales that came from here, and that there was a popular Soul Fighters Academy.

Soul fighting was very common among the people of the world, as much as other things like minotaurs, unicorns, gnomes, and all those other magic-whatever. However, the world also possessed dark beings, like monsters… or demons. But Soul Fighters were born and trained to fight against the evil. A weapon would be formed from the very essence of your soul, best fit to your natural tastes and necessity. It's able to be summoned at will with focus, but fighting with it requires intense and constant practice.

Dipper didn't really like the idea of getting his hands dirty with strange types of blood, or any type of blood, really. He's had his own experiences, and it was not at all what he expected. But time flows, and beliefs, opinions, and feelings change. Now, it didn't matter what blood he got on his hands, because the last type he'd want to see was if it was from someone he deeply cared about. He would kill any creature if it meant protecting his sister. His father always told him that his soul was very peculiar, and he should start learning at a young age. Although, that was shot down the drain, by said boy…

Mabel, on the other hand, was never required to learn such fighting. Her parents said that her soul was nothing but bright and warm, and oddly hard to understand.

The piercing sound of sirens snapped them to reality. Both of their attentions were drawn to a rusty car that hastily drove their way. Once it stopped, an old-looking man wearing a suit, glasses, and a fez hat stepped out. A mischievous, yet welcoming grin was plastered on his face, but the crinkles in his forehead gave away the stress put on him to make it there.

"Sorry I came so late, the cops were after me… again. I tried to get here as fast as possible before some other boogeyman took you guys away." Deciding to ignore his strange reasons, the twins looked up at the same time. The sky was now painted dark blue with streaks of purple and dots of sparkling white. The eeriness only increased as the forest seemed to grow louder with noises.

"You two want to stay here with the unknown creatures of the dark or get in?"

It only took a moment, but soon, Dipper and Mabel grabbed their luggage and quickly ran to either side of the car. Sliding into the passenger's seat, they immediately shut the doors behind their hurried entrance. Stan started up the engine, and soon they were on their way to his home.

"So, Grunkle Stan, what's it like in Gravity Falls?" Mabel began after a few seconds. Stan arched an eyebrow through the reflection of the rear-view mirror. She prompted, "What's it _like?_ The people, the places, the music, the dances?"

"If I were going to take a wild guess, it'd probably be to your taste."

Mabel pumped her fist. "Oh! Also, do people ride on horses? Are there any cute stores I can go to?"

Mabel extended her onslaught of questions as Stan drove down the narrow road with the rows of pine trees encasing them. Dipper made a mental note that they hadn't actually passed through the town. Perhaps it was his great uncle's way of avoiding the cops after whatever crime he had done earlier. A silent snort made its way to him.

"Is there a couple of cute guys that I need to hit on? Because I can do it!" She wiggled her eyebrows. Dipper grimaced with disgust at the thought. She dismissed his overprotectiveness. "Oh, where is Grunkle Ford? Is he busy? Did he miss us too?"

"That nerd doesn't even know what he's missing half the time," Stan scoffed. Mabel smiled cheekily, "But when he does, you're super happy, right? I bet he'll hang around us a lot from now on!"

"Considering the fact we are your legal caretakers now, yes, he will be."

Mabel prodded his cheeks, not caring that this may accidentally lead to a crash. "You missed us; I know you did! Come ooon!"

Stan could practically feel his large ears burning off, but decided he'd have to suck it up and get use to it. Dipper was already used to his sister's curious nature, and made no move to stop her. However, after what seemed like the millionth question, he suddenly declared, "Well, sweetie, you're gonna have to see for yourself tomorrow. But, how about tonight we just let you guys get settled down."

Mabel seemed satisfied with his answer, nodding twice with agreement. Before they knew it, they pulled up to a worn-down building made entirely of wood. 'Mystery Shack' sat atop, with the 'S' from 'Shack' missing. Dipper was a bit confused seeing them live in such a shabby place. He and Mabel knew well that their great uncles weren't exactly the most low class people. Grunkle Ford was a famous paranormal investigator that kept all his research in journals. So far, there was only three. He usually worked alone, or with his brother if needed. Grunkle Stan was a well-known fighter amongst the citizens, and a con-man that would occasionally bring up loot he definitely did not get legitimately.

Within seconds, a resounding explosion was heard from the inside. The shadow of smoke seeped from the old cracks of the building. All three of them rushed into the shack, trying to find out what had caused the blast. There was dense gas covering the view of the living room, but Stan could make out where it was coming from. Securing his grip on the kids' hands, he rapidly led them down to the basement. To their convenience, the smoke quickly cleared, letting them breathe cleaner air and relieve their eyes from the slight stinging. Ford was now visible, soot coating his face and his clothes. A broken beaker laid on the table in front of him, evidence of an eruption circling the glass.

Wiping the ash off of his glasses, a smile crept up his face at the sight of his grandniece and grandnephew. He greeted blithely, "Kids! What a pleasant sight!"

The anxiety of the twins diminished greatly since it seemed that he was alright. However, Stan frowned. "Can't really say the same for you…"

Ford tossed away the largest piece of the destroyed tool, before sweeping away the rest of his mess. Rubbing his face with a clean towel nearby, he also threw it into a hamper kept in his laboratory. Then, he resumed to his work as though nothing happened.

"It's their first day, Poindexter. Don't try to kill them!" Stan chastised, "Why do you have to be doing… whatever you're doing right now?"

Ford waved him off, "Don't fret, Stanley! In fact, if I had severely injured them, then I would heal them with this!"

He held up a vial containing a bright red liquid with a triumphant smirk. Dipper and Mabel looked at it in wonder while Stan just huffed. "And what is that supposed to be exactly?"

"It's a healing potion! It will stimulate the body to create the appropriate cells at a faster rate to regenerate wounds and injuries! All I have to do now is give it a test run. Come with me!"

Ford led the young twins and his brother to another table secured in his lab. Dipper took this as the opportunity to analyze the room. Complicated technology and equipment was in its place along the walls, on the counters, or on the tables, along with sheets of scribbled notes. The scientist searched around until he found the small, wilted flower that he kept out of the sun and dehydrated.

"Since this plant is small, it should only require one or two drops." He explained while carefully tipping out a specific amount. "Now, watch as the flower springs to life!"

The flower did just that. It dramatically straightened its stem, life flowing through its veins from the roots to the petals. Glowing healthily and mystically, Dipper, Mabel and even Stan were amazed at the sight. Ford was too caught up in his success to realize the flower was starting to grow numerous vines and pointy thorns on its stem.

"Uh… Grunkle Ford? Is it supposed to do that?" Dipper inquired fearfully as he backed away slowly with his sister behind him. Stan was starting to get a bit wary as well.

"Do wha—?" A strangled noise came from Ford's mouth as a vine swiftly wrapped around his neck. Dipper was shocked as Mabel gasped instantly. Their eyes flashed with horror as memories played within their minds. Grunkle Stan was the first to react to help his twin brother. Copper-colored light immediately shined upon both of his hands. He punched the pot containing the roots of the flower with his summoned brass knuckles, trying to reach its main life source. Vines shot out to stop him, but they only tore his clothes and grazed his skin. Although he was old, he was not weak, nor was he slow. Stan closed in on the overgrown weed. Thrusting his hand into the soil, he seized the roots and ripped apart the flower.

Crippling petals and ash fell along with Ford. He only coughed and cleared his throat as the two children were staring at them worriedly.

"G-Grunkle Ford are you alright?!" Mabel asked uneasily. He waved his six-fingered hand around to dismiss her concern.

"It's fine! I'm alright! Just gotta work out a few bugs and it'll be good." He cleared his throat again. "Say, have you eaten yet?"

The twins silently shook their head, and Ford clapped them on their backs. "Alright! After dinner, you guys can knock yourselves out in your new room!"

As Ford went up to began cooking, Stan just ruffled their heads. He chuckled at how shocked they were. He went down on one knee to get on their level as they stood still. "He's right, you know? We gotta eat 'cuz I'm pretty starved myself! But you two shouldn't worry about things like this; it'll be normal for you in no time!"

Mabel snapped out of her trance with a small laugh and worked up a smile, then rushed upstairs to follow her Grunkle Ford. Dipper only gave a small frown and shook his head, puzzling Stan. Seeing his expression, Dipper felt obliged to inform him of the cause of their reaction.

"Our parents died like that…" He began solemnly. Stan slightly wondered the last time Dipper actually smiled. "Some creature of darkness and long limbs took them out. We hid as they fought, and ran when they fell."

Stan nodded for him to continue, but the boy didn't exactly desire to continue describing the tragedy. Dipper gave a heavy sigh. "We have to stay strong now. I'm sure they'd want that."

At such a young age, these kids had already lost their parents. The melancholy on his face was unnerving, and who knew what risks this boy was willing to take, now that the reality of life had hit him hard. Grunkle Stan tensed; this was the beginning of his and his brother's guardianship. It was their responsibility now to manage and raise these kids as their own. He gave him a sympathetic smile, before pinching his cheek. Dipper gave a whine of pain and rubbed his blooming flesh.

"I understand, kid. My brother and I both do. But don't try to make everything life or death from now on. You're young, and you've got time. Relax, have fun, enjoy life; it's what makes it worth living."

Dipper soaked in his words as the two stared at each other. Then, a genuine smile broke onto his youthful face while he nodded in agreement. After portraying his understanding and gratitude with his eyes one more time, he turned around and ran upstairs to join his sister and Grunkle Ford. Grunkle Stan followed in pursuit; the mess would have to be cleaned later, not that he was going to do it.

Dinner was lively and interesting; their discussion ranged from a myriad of topics, in which the topic of their parents was subtly avoided. Afterwards, Stan showed them their new room in the attic. He left them to become adjusted to their shared sleeping area. Mabel quickly assessed her decorative space until Dipper put his luggage down and jumped in his bed. She couldn't help but also leap in hers, bouncing against the dusty mattress. It was a bit cold to the touch, but sure to be comfortable once it was warmed up. She had never exactly said out loud, but she was fine living here with her grunkles, as long as her brother was also here. She turned the lights off and they both snuggled into their blankets.

"Hey bro-bro?"

"Yeah?"

"Goodnight, dork!"

A muffled chuckle was heard, but a response came, "Goodnight, weirdo!"

Light snoring was then heard from his bed a few minutes after, and she soon fell asleep as well. For the first time in a week since the funeral, she felt at home.

* * *

A curious eye peered into their room as they slept. Two new citizens to Gravity Falls? It was nothing mindblowing or complicated. However, they happened to have grabbed his attention quite greedily. Yet, it was not them themselves, but their souls. The boy's was strong-willed and sharp; it burned a bright blue flame of hidden strength.

However, the girl's soul was… hazy, at most. He was quite surprised and irritated from the struggle of trying to understand it. The most he discovered was its yellow brightness and the abnormal feeling of stretching warmth. He felt a small desire burn in his chest to get closer to her, to see if she was as warm as her soul was. But he shook out of that feeling as swiftly as it came, slightly appalled from such a tug. What was that feeling indeed? No matter, that shouldn't be his main concern. He was sure to meet them soon, anyway.

Bill Cipher stood out as one of the worst demons to ever crawl upon the Nightmare Realm, and it would always frustrate him. No matter how hard he would try to prove his worthiness, it did little to no improvement. He had only started 120 years ago, so he reasoned that his demonic power was still weak. The most he could do was invade someone's dream or their mind, and his deals were fulfilled just by that. Although, he wasn't fully sure of the mechanics of demonic growth, or how he even got them. But knowing nothing except how to be mischievous and cunning, he caused trouble to the innocent.

Bill would go around Gravity Falls, making it his goal to cause displeasure and sometimes harm to its inhabitants. He would disappear when his capture was near, and would trick and deceive people to do his bidding. The citizens tended to avoid him, and were told to run if they saw his distinguishable top hat or yellow suit, or especially his cat-like eye.

He'd laugh at their fear. As much as he hated to admit his lowliness, stronger demons would cause worse damage, he barely did anything. Bill was more than well aware of stronger demons, for denying their existence would surely make him a fool. They would taunt and scowl at him about his young human-like appearance. It took much skill and power to morph their hideous appearances into a human being, but Bill's was natural. They found it repulsive that he looked like such a weak creature, yet still walked on the same plane as them. A bit more than a few of them would start beating him up to put him in his place, insulting and spitting on him. The times where he could barely process that he was losing his senses was where he would teleport out of the Nightmare Realm and to the human dimension.

And that was another thing that intrigued him. The other demons had to force themselves out of their realm to Earth for a limited time, or some couldn't go on their own at all, that is if they aren't summoned or acting upon a deal. Yet, he was able to go back and forth between the planes of their existences. Although he did not express it, he took slight pride in his unique abilities. Who needed to be acquainted with those trashy monsters, anyways?

The outlawed dream-demon was unable to face off against all of the Soul Fighters by himself, and permanently staying in the Nightmare Realm was just an eternity of torture. Everyone in the Nightmare Realm and everyone in Gravity Falls practically hated him, avoided him, or were annoyed by him.

He was on his own; all he had to look out for was himself.

Once again ignoring the girl's soul and its alluring aura, he vanished in the night.

* * *

 **BILL IS ONE OF THE WORST DEMONS EVER?**

 **Ha! Is it weird to imagine him as such? Well now you can read about it! In a different AU! Other characters will be introduced, so wait 'till then! If this story is intriguing for you, I'm glad! If it isn't, I'm sorry! I had this idea in my head for waaaay too long so I decided, hey, I'll just write about it!**

 **Rewritten: 10/03/16.**

 **Pce!**


	2. Chapter 2

**BACK FOR MORE?!**

 **I'm pleasantly surprised! I like pleasant surprises, do you know? But anyways, ONWARDS!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

" _And if you see here, there's the grand watermelon!"_

 _Flashes were seen and snaps were heard as pictures were taken. The multiple clones of Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford continued to follow the mean bus driver, cameras in hand. He gestured to the next display, "Here, this is the great Dipper Pines, the legendary Soul Fighter!"_

 _The boy smirked on the pedestal, pulling a pose that spoke of might and bravery. He allowed himself to be caught with photography. Yet, there were no flashes, no snaps, no clicks, not even gasps. They all stared at him weirdly, with hollow eyes and blank smiles. Dipper broke out of his pose to ask feebly, "Um… hello?"_

" _Is what I would say, if he wasn't such a_ _ **coward**_ _."_

 _The floor beneath him crumbled, and suddenly, Dipper was somewhere else entirely._

 _This scenario was… different, but the traumatizing feeling could not be mistaken._

 _His heavy breathing mixed with Mabel's as they laid down underneath the thorny bush. Two pairs of eyes repeatedly scanned the visible area. Dipper felt liquid running down his arm but didn't bother checking, only worrying for their safety. He felt a thin layer of sweat build on his skin as they tried to be as stealthy as possible._

The sound of battle cries, the clanging of metal, or the sound of harmed flesh would make them cringe every time. He couldn't bare to peek at the battle that was going on. Surely, their parents would find them soon and tell them that they were okay. They'd bring them out of this mess and together, they'd find new shelter. They were amazing Soul Fighters; they always came back alive. What was different about this one?

Suddenly, the occasional sounds had stopped. Dipper heard Mabel's breathing quicken up, and she shook his shoulder hard. His currently foggy vision did not clear up at the slightest, irritating him greatly. However, as he looked up from observing the ground, he could distinctly make out his parents. They were lying in their own puddle of blood, motionless. The monster was just standing above them, a familiar crimson liquid dripping down its long appendages.

Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he grabbed Mabel's hands and bursted into an escape. They ran and ran and kept running, ignoring the screams of the people around them, the burning sensation from the raging fire, the smoke that filled their lungs, and the blood that covered the grounds. They ran through it all. And yet, it seemed as though they were going nowhere.

He felt a sudden tug at his hand, before he felt nothing gripping onto him at all. Whirling his head around, he found that Mabel was far behind him. His eyes caught hers while she was being held back by an inky darkness, greedily clawing at her.

Her cry was deafening. "DIPPER!"

He tried to run, but his legs wouldn't move. He tried to scream, but his voice wouldn't sound. He was forced to watch her slowly being consumed. Tears ran down his face as his frustration reflected onto his violent thrashing. But as much as he struggled, nothing happened.

 _"DIPPER! DIPPER!"_

"WAKE UP ALREADY, DIP-DOP!" The breath was forced out his lungs as he felt some sort of solid weight on top of his abdomen. Mabel huffed impatiently, "Finally! We gotta eat quick so we can look around the town for the whole day! Hurry up and…"

She trailed off as she saw he was covered in sweat. His breathing was a bit too heavy, and his eyes were glazed over, staring at his hands.

"Yo, bro? Are you okay?" She put a hand on his shoulder until he calmed down enough to pull it away.

"I'm fine. It was just a really bad nightmare." He mustered up a reassuring smile, already forgetting the images and details of his bad dream.

"Okay, but if it happens again, I'll give you worst ones!" She threatened half-heartedly. He only scrunched his eyebrows in confusion.

"Mabel, that doesn't even make sense."

"Oh, yeah? Well, your face makes no sense!"

"Then that means yours doesn't either!" He pointed out, "We technically have the same face! Twins, remember?"

Mabel pouted and slid off of him and onto the floor. Dipper felt much better, now. A shout was heard from below.

"You kids might want to hurry up and get down here unless you want to die starving while looking around the town!"

Dipper grinned as he shot a challenging look towards Mabel, "Race you!"

He swiftly fled off of his bed and out the door before Mabel could accept. It took no time at all for her to recover from her indignation and shock. Chasing him down, she caught up and tackled him down to the carpet, prohibiting him from reaching the table.

Dipper wheezed, "Oh no! She's got me!"

Mabel made mocking rawrs that resembled a dinosaur and playfully formed claws with her hands. They both bursted out into childish giggles before moving to the table. Stan just shook his head, muttering something about 'weird kids.'

They all enjoyed that wonderful morning filled with pancakes, syrup, and whatever juice Mabel had concocted. After puppy eyes and persuasion, Mabel had convinced the scientist to drink some of her _lovely_ beverage. Ford surely felt his head spin at the amount of sugar that invaded his brain and his now hyper blood. Stan, who was burying his nose in the newspaper, had mistaken his brother's diabetic drink for his mug of coffee, and took a large gulp. Needless to say, Stan exited the table and went to lay on the couch for a while.

Once breakfast was over, Dipper and Mabel were itching to go outside. Ford halted them in their tracks, and bolted elsewhere, before returning with backpacks.

"Alright! So make sure you have everything you need. Remember, most citizens in Gravity Falls are safe to talk to." Grunkle Ford explained to the both of them as they adjusted the backpacks on their shoulders.

He said seriously, "If you hear the names of Pacifica Northwest, Gideon Gleeful, or especially Bill Cipher, then do not engage!"

No response. The young twins weren't completely paying attention to what he was saying; the names flew through one ear and out the other. They were distracted by the amount of items that were kept inside their backpacks. Mabel kept fiddling with the straps on hers, and Dipper had to keep picking it back up as the hefty weight dragged him down.

"Grunkle Ford, do we really need all this?" Dipper complained after fixing his bag for the third time.

"Yeah! I mean, minotaur repellant? A weird-looking gun device? And unicorn ugly-spray?! But I love unicorns!" Mabel listed the various items, picking up each one before dropping them back into the bag. Her brother nodded along with her whining. Ford exhaled just as Stan entered the room..

"Whoa, kids, where do you think you're going with all that junk?" He walked over to the two and ripped the bags from their shoulders. Stan threw it somewhere across the room, where it landed and skidded across the floor. Ford groaned at his brother's carelessness.

"They'll need that just in case some creature happens to pay them a visit and _doesn't go away_." Ford emphasized on the last part with a strained expression. Stan just rolled his eyes and waved his hand around.

"They're just going around town, it'll be fine!" Stan insisted as the two great uncles turned to observe the kids. Mabel grinned and bounced on her feet, "I'm gonna do it!"

"Do it!" Dipper pressed. With a yelp, she hopped off her feet in an attempt to do a backflip, where she had failed miserably. Dipper leaned over slightly to check if she was in any kind of pain. However, she gave a thumbs up, "I'm okay!"

Stan looked back to his brother's fretting face. He stated with an undertone of uncertainty, "O-One of the Soul Fighters will be there, I'm sure."

Ford sighed, still reluctant to send them out without any form of knowledge or protection. He pulled out a tattered, leather-covered journal out of his coat. Stepping closer to the younger twins, they turned their attention to him. He held it out to Dipper, who eyed it, glanced up at him, then took it graciously. Dipper ran his fingers over the golden imprint of the six-fingered hand which had a '3' on it. As he started flipping through the pages, Mabel also looked over his shoulder with interest.

Ford placed his hands on his hips, "There! In case of emergency, you can use that book to find the information of any supernatural being you've come to face with. And bring this light with you, too."

The scientist unexpectedly tossed them a small light, in which Mabel juggled it in her hands before getting a firm grip on it. She flipped the switch a multitude of times, flashing the ultraviolet light in front of her face and her brother's, much to his annoyance, as he was still engaged with the journal. Finally having enough, he snatched the light from her hands and shoved it in his vest.

"I ran out of space, so I wrote with invisible ink. Flash that light over the pages and you'll see it."

They both nodded excitedly and prepared to leave the shack. Dipper hid the journal in the other side of his vest. Stan wished them goodbye, and Ford wished them good luck. Soon, they were walking towards their new town, Gravity Falls.

* * *

Pacifica Northwest grumbled to herself as she stretched out the stiffness from her joints. Her body was sore from practicing with her sword _all_ day yesterday. If she wasn't filling out paperwork or giving her input in strategies with all those nerds, then her parents would be making her practice.

"Be the best, don't stop yourself for someone else, hold up your title as the Northwest heiress." She muttered to herself in the warm shower. Turning the knob, the water stopped, and she dried herself thoroughly.

She quickly put on her Soul Fighter uniform, which was a little different from the rest of the students. Her outfit was lightweight, yet stylish. She had coattails that flowed behind her as she walked or jumped. It's main theme was a light violet with white as its second color, outlining the edges. It left her shoulders bare, but kept a comfortable hug on her body with strips connected by an azure jewel. Her white, school-girl skirt was cut just above her knees as her thigh high socks went under her white boots. If there was one of the things she liked about being the Soul Fighter Academy's headmaster, it would be this fancy outfit that displayed her authority and position.

Indeed, she was the headmistress of the Gravity Falls Soul Fighter Academy. She would often go to boring meetings with all the other Soul Fighter headmasters, consisting of older men and their blunt bragging about their own academies and their success. Many of them would be in disbelief that some twelve-year-old _girl_ sat amongst them in the same ranks, but she was a force to be reckoned with. They wouldn't _dare_ question her leadership or strength, for they'd surely experience it if challenged properly. She's shown enough worth for them to not look down so openly anymore.

Pacifica made a quick getaway out of her parents' mansion and strode towards the academy. As she confidently walked through the town, many of the citizens would move out of their way for her. She guessed it had something to do with her cold and brutal attitude towards people, but she had to keep up an image. Her parents would destroy her if they saw her as someone who was _weak_ and stooped so low to befriend anyone that wasn't high class. All her life, she had been raised to believe herself as someone greater, to the extent of being otherworldly. And sometimes, she really followed through with their teachings.

Nevertheless, deep down, Pacifica never really liked being so harsh towards the citizens she was protecting. They shouldn't exactly fear her, even though it was necessary at times, but respect would be nice. She secretly enjoyed the smiles that was given her way because of something good she did. Not because she had to criticize a student for their hard work, or glare at everyone she looked at. However, that wouldn't do. If she showed she was soft, then there would be a myriad of effects. Her students would slacken, she'd lose respect, and her parents would probably even _disown_ her.

While in her thoughts, she was knocked back a few steps as the female brunette who bumped into her fell down on her backside. She instantly shot an icy scowl down on the fallen girl as the bystanders let out low gasps and murmurs. Yet, confusion ran through her mind. She knew everyone in Gravity Falls as she was supposed to, but had never seen this girl before, or that cute boy running towards them.

Wait, cute boy?

"Sorry! She can be a klutz sometimes! Apologize so we can go, Mabel!" Said boy kneeled down beside the girl, urging her to say something. Pacifica observed that they looked vaguely alike. Siblings, perhaps? Visitors? New inhabitants? Nonetheless, there was a crowd forming around them, and this wasn't where she would burn her reputation now. These two would need to learn who she was if they wanted to have any sort of common sense in this town.

Before Mabel could get a word out of her mouth, Pacifica clicked her tongue and leaned her face towards theirs. The shadow from the sun cascaded over her towering form, making her seem alarmingly threatening.

"Look, since you're new here, I'll let you off with a warning. _Don't bump into me again_." She hissed darkly, before walking away with a sway in her hips. She halted to look at them one more time, raising a hand as a goodbye, "And my name is Pacifica Northwest. You better remember it!"

As they watched the young blonde walk away and the surrounding bystanders disperse, Dipper and Mabel both got up from the ground. Mabel dusted herself off and frowned, scrutinizing her back and tense form.

"Well, she seems psychologically traumatized, but actually very nice." Mabel concluded suddenly, almost cheerily. Dipper's eyes widened at her proclamation, before blowing a raspberry and dismissing her thought.

"Her? Nice? She clearly has no respect for anyone but herself, Mabel. Imagine what she'll do if you bump into her the next time. And didn't Grunkle Ford say to stay away from her?"

Mabel appeared as though she was thinking over his words and their great uncle's words from before. However, it was only a moment before she gasped at a sight that was far in front of them. Without telling or looking at her brother, she took off towards her destination. Dipper quickly recovered from his initial surprise and followed her. They ended up in front of a pen encased by wooden fences. Within the confinements was mud and a lot of pink, chubby pigs.

The carny was a giddy senior citizen, who greeted her with, "Welcome to this limited time offer! If you can guess the pounds of the pig you want, you can get it for free!"

Mabel shook her brother back and forth, "Did you hear that, Dipper?! I can get my own pig for freee!"

"A pig as a pet—?"

She promptly dropped him on the ground before observing all of the pigs. What a mistake she made! They were all too cute! Too adorable! How could she ever choose just one out of all of them? Mabel clawed her face in extreme contemplation, "There's so many!"

"Just pick one and let's go! They all look the same, anyway." Dipper brushed off the dirt that clung to him. Mabel shook her head, "That's not how you pick your forever animal companion, Dippingsauce!"

The answer seem to appear by itself when a single pig waddled up to her and stopped right near the fence. It sat down on his plushy bottom, tilted its head, and oinked what she seemed to heard as "Mabel."

"This one! I want this one, sir!" She squealed and pointed frantically at the chubby pig as he scratched his cheek.

"Ooh, I see! You want old fifteen-pounds, huh?" He narrowed his eyes at her, presenting a challenge, "Well, to get him, you're gonna have to guess how much he weighs! And you only got one shot!"

Mabel blinked. Was this a trick question… or something? "Uh… Is he fifteen pounds?"

The man's eyes seem to bug out of his head before applauding for her, "Yes! Correct! How did you know?"

As she enthusiastically took the pig from the pen, she only shrugged, sparing the old man of his mistake. "Lucky guess."

Dipper was still picking out dirt from his clothes by the time his sister took her pig. Mabel was already walking away, so he hastily caught up to her.

"Where are you going?" He questioned.

"Home! I'll have to clean him up and let him settle in his new home!" Mabel saw the slight dejection on his face, so she coaxed, "We can look through the town again tomorrow."

Dipper saw the sun setting and frowned. He hadn't gotten to check out the academy yet, and there was still much to explore. He hadn't even seen a creature other than a human around this town, either. However, he didn't want to leave Mabel by herself to walk through the woods. He sighed and decided that there was no need to argue. He would just explore the academy tomorrow. Mabel happily skipped ahead as Dipper followed behind her.

* * *

 **DONE!**

 **I planned on writing more but I'll just save that for the next chapter! If you're still interested and still reading, thank you!**

 **Rewritten: 7/14/17**

 **Until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I JUST CAN'T HELP MYSELF! thus, here is more! I'm very glad that you bother to continue reading, never fails to make me smiiiiile!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

The sun rose, gradually, painting the horizon a brilliant gold that began to eliminate the night sky. It allowed all eyes that chose to look upon it to soak in its natural beauty. The atmosphere was tranquil, with only the low, constant hum of the train gliding across the tracks. The fancy cabin was vacant, save for the one seat that held a young boy.

Gideon Gleeful was scrolling through his phone, chuckling to himself to pass the time. It would help him with preventing his mood from becoming sour. He never was the patient kind. He wanted things done, done swiftly, and done his way. He could do lots of things thanks to his majestic amulet, and not some stupid soul mumbo-jumbo.

He traveled around the state as an entertainer, enchanting folks with his strange "soul weapon that could use telekinesis." Such a weapon was unheard of, so it added to the pull factors for luring in customers. They were willing to pay a handsome amount just to see his shows. And also, with his appealing youth and cute southern drawl, he would make more than he could count.

Of course, _some_ people were suspicious and didn't believe in his act. They would avoid him or call him out. But then there were ones who would get too close to his secret of power. Usually, it was just interviewers with oddly specific questions. However, his biggest threat was that Stanford Pines…

A few knocks were heard on the door, and a man peeked in.

"We've almost arrived at Gravity Falls, sir."

Gideon smiled sinisterly. He couldn't let Ford ruin his life career and reputation. A plan was formed in his genius mind way before he boarded the train.

"Perfect."

* * *

Mabel lifted her pig up joyfully for the whole world to see. Waddles was simply perfect! Her grunkles were a bit surprised to see her bring home a pig. Well, maybe more than _a bit_ surprised. Stanford immediately grabbed him—thanks to him, she now knew his gender—from her and checked for any signs of evil. Stanley just griped about another mouth to feed and more dirt to clean.

Mabel had taken him back after Ford was done, and Dipper went off to shower. She rubbed her pig's cheeks and scratched underneath his ears. His occasional oinks and snorts were so charming! His beady eyes were enchanting, the way he waddled everywhere was captivating, and even his short pink body was cuddly. Oh, he was simply lovable!

She took a quick shower and reappeared with her pajamas. Dipper was already knocked out in bed, probably hoping to wake up soon for tomorrow. She still felt a bit bad having to drag him around all day, especially whenever she stopped to flirt with a random guy. Although, they did run away after only a few seconds…. But anyways, she agreed with herself that she'd let Dipper drag her along to whatever boring or boy thing he wanted to do tomorrow.

Hugging her new pet pig tightly, she fell fast asleep.

The next day, the younger twins once again excused themselves from the shack to continue their exploring from yesterday.

Dipper was in genuine awe of the building they were in; the academy was positively grand! There were at least three stories, and the building seemed to extend as long as a football field and a half. The walls were sleek, the grass was cut evenly, and the whole ambience just spoke of promises and privilege. It seemed just too amazing for a small town like Gravity Falls.

Mabel was a little disappointed of having to leave her pig home, but she didn't want to ruin the mood for Dipper. Presenting her famous smile, she tried to be at least a little bit interested for him. The said boy was quickly following the tour guide, who led the twin and some adults with their children around the halls of the beautiful building.

He had them follow him down a hallway, where they passed by rooms and doors with narrow windows. Dipper noted the young children that were all situated in an orderly fashion, strained and focused expressions alike. The tour guide clarified, "That there is where beginners practice summoning their weapon until it is on instinct."

He took them up a floor. They were directed towards a wide room that was available for all eyes to see, since the entire wall was glass. "Over there, students train on punching bags or use machinery to build up muscle and endurance."

"No use of summoning the weapon if you can't use it, so here is where they practice against simulations or each other," Further down the hall, there was one side of the hall with rooms that were able to be seen through windows, and control panels laid attached to the wall. Deeper into the room was another room, completely dark and graphed with neon green lights. On the other side of the hall, it was simple and empty, but small necessities were hung on the wall in case of emergency.

They went up another level. Displaying a pair of adorned doors, he didn't bother opening them. "The strategists go into this room to come up with battle plans or ways of improving student progression."

"The auditorium is for the headmaster or such to give large scale announcements," The tour guide took them back down to the first level and into the other wing of the building. Then, he led them to another part of the wing, "The cafeteria is where they eat, of course."

The tour guide continued explaining the difference functions and structures of each section inside the building. Then, they reached the outside, behind the academy. As they were watching the students practice their moves and movements, several classes of older students headed into the forest. Mabel was pleased to have found this tour mildly interesting so far, while Dipper was almost bubbling over in anticipation.

"Outside, they practice their landscaping skills or how to use some of their soul essence to jump high or run fast. Plus, this is where a few classes dispatch at a time in search of real monsters to fight. Of course, this is strictly for older students."

Just as the tour guide finished speaking, the same blonde girl who bumped into the twins yesterday had appeared before them. She was wearing that peculiar outfit, and wasn't being followed or a part of any classes.

"Welcome to the Gravity Falls Soul Fighters Academy! You may know me, Pacifica Northwest, as the headmaster of this academy, and part of the family that founded this town long ago." She greeted them with a sugary sweet tone. However, arrogance was written all over her face, shown by her proud smirk and the twinkle in her cerulean eyes. She continued on about the success of the academy and even mentioned her family's wealthiness and status to boost her persuasion.

Dipper found himself shocked; he just didn't believe this. The universe had chosen someone like _her_ to be both rich and talented? Life was just _unfair_.

 _She is the headmaster?_ Dipper scowled at her from the back of the crowd. _She's better off modeling as a play doll._

He barely registered the surprised gasps that came from the crowd that he and his sister had been walking with. However, he could clearly see the darkened look on the girl's face as she strode towards him. It didn't take him long at all to figure out he had accidentally said that out loud. Dipper gulped discretely and there was a slight crinkle in his forehead. Mabel looked a bit frightened, but held her stand next to him.

Pacifica hissed, "Oh, and who are you? What are you doing here?"

He straightened his back and firmly stood opposed to her, "I'm Dipper Pines, and I plan on entering this academy to learn how to be a Soul Fighter."

She scrutinized him briefly; he seemed too old to be starting how to learn Soul Fighting now in her academy. She wondered if he even knew the basics of fighting.

Pacifica shot her palm out and pushed him forcefully on his chest, to which he landed on his back with an 'oof.'

"Hey! Why would you…" Mabel's strong protest trailed off as Pacifica's steely glower pointed at her. The female twin could see a hint of genuine hurt from Dipper's insult.

"Your brother should have started years ago. He'll just hold the steady development of the students back. Imagine! This imbecile in a class full of five-year-olds!" She scoffed, turning her attention back to the boy on the ground, "And he wants to enter this academy, but so openly doubts the strength of the one in charge. I'd like to see if he can do any better."

All the nearby students and other people paused to watch the exchange that was happening. Dipper could feel himself growing anxious at the stares but refused to show it.

"Does it matter when I start? I'll work harder than anyone!"

"Do you even know how to summon your weapon? Or better yet, throw a punch?" She demanded harshly. There was no response, and she could see the hesitation in his face. Pacifica crossed her arms snidely.

"Thought so. You want to know why you have to work so hard to learn?" She was towering over him once again, showing everyone who was superior. There was no mercy in her eyes, and neither in her words. "Because you weren't born for this, and I suggest you change your mind."

Heavy silence veiled over the them all that you could hear a pin drop. Mabel had her hands up to her mouth, and the rest of the bystanders looked at each other with sympathy and uncertainty. Pacifica didn't permit herself to cringe at his broken expression.

As she turned around to walk away, she heard the familiar sound of crunching dirt and felt the air shift slightly. He was going in for a surprise attack.

 _What an amateur._

She whirled around to dodge the sloppy punch he aimed to her head and rapidly grabbed his offending wrist. Yanking him closer, she launched her other fist to his gut. He coughed as the wind was knocked out of him. Pacifica only sighed silently and backed away.

"Dipper!" Mabel ran towards her falling brother. Before he hit the ground, she caught him and sat him upright. She hastily asked if he was alright, but he only stared at the ground. Pacifica felt a burning sensation in her chest of having to crush such determination. But, she had no choice. Her own reputation and the reputation of the school outweighed this boy's desires. If she made an example to slackers and big-mouths, they'd learn that this was no game. All who crossed her needed to know that she was to be taken seriously, and that she had earned her position rightfully. No one—especially not this _random—_ was going to rip that away from her.

With another glance, she faced the other way and attempted to make another escape. The surrounding citizens were murmuring low, yet he could still catch degrading words that were directed at him. He's dealt with the sort of attention in the past, since kids were not always the nicest thing on Earth. He and his sister have experienced being constantly surrounded by people who didn't understand, constantly pressured to talk because of the news journalists and reporters. It felt like isolation, completely being cut off because he was viewed as someone abnormal.

He was just tired of it.

Dipper shakily stood up, fiercely adamant, "So what? I don't care what you say! I'm going to be a great Soul Fighter! Maybe even greater than _you!_ "

He turned on his heel with Mabel trailing after him, keeping enough sense to avoid spitting out scathing remarks. Pacifica could hear bystanders continue on whispering amongst themselves. She wanted to agree; she should be agreeing. Yet, there was a flicker in her heart that told her that they all just might be wrong. Pacifica growled at the thought.

A small part of her worried that his stubbornness would get him killed one day. Alas, her expression visibly softened, not that anyone was watching. Her chest was mixed with emotions, but ultimately, she was expressionless.

"Good luck," she whispered almost inaudibly, even drowned out by the hushed voices. She, however, was not sure herself if it was meant to be genuine or sarcastic.

Meanwhile, Dipper was stomping away while Mabel wordlessly held his pace alongside him. He'd occasionally wince at the bruise that was sure to be forming on his abdomen. That entire scene was something he wasn't exactly used to, but there have been plenty of times that someone had doubted and belittled him. He thought that after this abrupt change in their lives, he could live anew. But apparently not, seeing that people like _that girl_ had to be another one of them!

Suddenly, he heard a feminine voice calling out.

"Hey, wait up!" A slim young teen with long red hair was gesturing for them to slow down. She caught up to them in no time as he stopped dead in his tracks. For some reason, her arrival ignited his spirits. She sure was pretty…

"I saw what happened back there, and I've gotta say, you got some guts, kid." She lightly punched his shoulder, and he tried not to flinch.

"No one would try to stand up to her, but that was pretty awesome! Even though you were kind of beaten up…" She smiled at them both. Dipper was sure he felt his face heat up.

"The name's Wendy Corduroy, I also happen to be a student at this academy. It's pretty neat except the stress of being up to par," she rolled her eyes as she remembered her teacher's reprimanding about her laid-back attitude.

"Hi Wendy! I'm Mabel, and this is my twin brother…" Mabel signaled to her brother, waiting for him to introduce himself. He caught on a little too slower than normal and cleared his throat.

"Oh, I'm, uh, Dopp—I mean, Dipper! Dipper Pines!" His voice cracked once or twice in embarrassment, making him want to hurl himself off the nearest cliff. Wendy just chuckled.

"Sense of humor; nice! I'd love to hang out more but bell is gonna ring soon. Catch you later!" She waved goodbye before going inside the building. As soon as she was out of sight, Mabel grabbed her brother by his vest.

"Yo bro-bro, what was that all about?" Her eyebrows wiggled suggestively. He took a step back from her hold and laughed nervously.

"What? I think it was just Pacifica's punch that put me in a whack. Don't worry, I'll be fine, though." He attempted to play it off, but she shook her head disappointedly.

"Can't fool me, Dipper. Twins, remember?" She grinned as he recognized his words from yesterday.

"It's fine if you have a little bit of a crush on her, you dork! Although, I don't know about you, but she doesn't seem like the type to go for younger guys." She paused to shrug, "That could change, though!"

Dipper just arched an eyebrow, "Let's just go home Mabel. Waddles is probably looking for you, right?"

Mabel gasped at this revelation. She took him by his vest collar and started dragging him with newly found strength.

"You're absolutely right! We gotta get home as soon as possible!"

As she rushed and he groaned, they were both unaware of a pair of eyes that trailed them carefully.

Gideon observed with a hint of amusement and affection from inside his impressive tent. The girl ran in the opposite direction while dragging her brother along, quite literally. She was very perky, and she herself was destined to be beautiful once she grew out of her adolescence. Even though he was a bit younger, he still itched to hold her hand and inhale her scent. However, there was a disturbing sense of recognition, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

After forcing his head to turn away from the open flap, he surveyed how many people came tonight for his show. Gideon smirked; full house as always. The fools just couldn't get enough of him. Perhaps he could find a way to bring that girl to his show…

"Ladies and gentlemen! For the final act, our lovely star child will be performing!" The announcer waited for the rapid round of applause to end before resuming, "I bring you, Gideon Gleeful!"

With a quick puff of smoke, he appeared in front of everyone's eyes. He bowed and waved to the excited audience.

"Oh, I'm so glad you all came to watch lil' ole me! Why, I'm so happy, I feel as if I'm on top of the world!"

With a quick trick of the light, the amulet was on his hand, and he fixed it upon his collared shirt. Using its power, a large globe dramatically rose from underneath the stage and carried him upwards. He stood atop the globe as it floated over their heads and grazed the top. The crowd cheered wildly, throwing compliments and shiny items.

Unexpectedly, the globe plummeted back into the ground. It shook the bleachers and left their ears ringing. Yet, he was left floating above in the air. The audience was in absolute awe, and he could hear expressions of disbelief and amazement. He gracefully floated down and raised both arms as a finish. After he spent an hour entertaining the people, there was just one part left. The crowd was just as any other unsuspecting group.

"Now, now. Here comes the real good part!" Gideon grinned mostly to himself; this was always his favorite part. "I'd like to select one person in this show to help me in my final act! But remember what you'll be getting into! This will be _breathtaking_."

Many of them exclaimed and raised their hands, or even clawed their way to the front. A majority of them seemed to ignore the obviously suspicious foreshadow. Nevertheless, Gideon smirked maliciously as he playfully pointed his stubby finger to several people.

Finally, it stopped on one, selecting a single, unfortunate soul in the group.

"How about… you?"

* * *

 **I can't stop with my gratitude! ;-** ;

 **It makes me really really happy seeing the recognition for this weird story made from my weird mind.**

 **But whatever! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Rewritten: 1/24/18**

 **Bye!**


	4. Chapter 4

**WELL, WELL, WELL, WELL, WELL—Hi!**

 **I had realized I forgot to mention that the academy also teaches regular school things along with their training.**

 **Thank you for all the positive reviews and such! I miss a certain character, do you? Well, no worries, ta-da!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

Bill hissed once more at the constant pain at his side. It's been awhile since he was damaged this badly; the scalding burn was stinging continuously at his flesh. However, he didn't bother worrying about death or infection. Plus, his healing factor was rapid as long as he focused on his injuries. Albeit, it wasn't _that_ fast compares to the other full-fledged demons. Healing himself always felt so strange too, almost as if he wasn't healing _properly_. Yet, he ignored it and continued on with his advances.

In his opinion, this was one of the terrible downsides to immortality: feeling the annoying pricks of every single nerve that was affected and the discomfort in your cells as much as possible without death to consume him. He tried to make it easier for himself and enjoy unbearable pain in his earlier days, but it never actually worked out for him like it did for some others.

He silently laid underneath the shade of the tree and stared upwards to the sky, past the little leaves that were already fading from green to yellow. It was a sign of withering, was it not? Soon, there would many leaves detaching themselves from their branches. They would drift to the forest floor, only to perish for good. Then, it would restart in the spring, just as all life seem to do, just to die again. It made the sight a whole lot better with his perspective.

He was glad to find himself unbothered by the animals or other creatures of the forest. They wouldn't dare to go near him. His being radiated darkness from the Nightmare Realm. That was truly fine; he didn't desire a speck of company, anyway. Not from some doe, or human, or _demon_ , especially. He almost laughed at how easy it was to escape from the other demons' maniacal clutches.

Bill hid away his face with his top hat and closed his eye, despite already seeing darkness. He listened to the sound of the breeze cutting through the swaying grass. The stream nearby was running calmly; the occasional sounds of life would alert his ears. It was the epitome of a peaceful atmosphere.

With a quick snap of his fingers, fire engulfed the nearby trees in roaring flames, the grass around him burned to ash in a beautiful wave, and the sounds of sentience halted in a moment of utter cacophony. Even though he couldn't produce destruction at an extremely large-scale, this was enough for him. Lifting up his hat, he smirked at the currently lifeless surroundings. It stretched far enough where he could barely see anymore luminous greenery.

Mentally, he scoffed with contempt. Peace hadn't, wouldn't, and can't stop destruction. To survive within this wretched universe, you must be ruthless.

The once glorious area of nature was completely eerie and monochromatic now. The only thing that appeared alive and well was the tree he rested under.

That's why when a chubby, pink body abruptly _plopped_ itself roughly onto his chest, he was jerked upright in surprise.

 _Bad move_ , he thought briskly. The wound on his side bloomed with pain once more, leaving him two areas to be irked about. He growled at the current animal gazing up at him innocently with beady eyes. His hands burst into the bright blue and golden flames with an intent to murder it. Maybe eat it, too; just for revenge.

" _Wait!_ Wait, wait, wait!" A young girl, who looked around his "age," sprinted up to where he laid, and doubled over. She panted and attempted at talking, but instead, odd, incoherent noises were spluttered out. He furrowed his blonde brows at the struggling girl. She was very familiar. Wasn't this the same one he had observed some night before?

She cleared her throat and fixed herself up, patting down her skirt and briefly combing her hair. Then, she abruptly came down on both of her knees with her arms outstretched in front of her.

"Please, don't hurt my poor Waddles! I saw the flames on your hands, but he meant no harm! I had been walking him and then he bursted off to this place! Let us go, and I'll get you some Smile Dip!"

Her voice was muffled by the ground when she was talking speedily. Then, she sat up and looked expectantly for his answer. He was bewildered by her sudden offer, and the fact that if he was anybody else, he wouldn't even be able to understand a single word that she voiced.

 _Really, though, Smile Dip?_ Bill mused briefly, _What kind of human device is that?_

He was too worn out to try and make a deal; the pain seemed to be growing horridly since he wasn't focusing on it. However, he seriously needed her to get out of his sight. Her soul was attracting him again. Not knowing her name, he looked at something to distinguish her by. An idea clicked as his eye caught onto her sweater.

"Listen, Shooting Star, you might want to get out of here before I _kill_ you." He forced steel in his voice and put on a cold stare. She was taken aback by his venomous attitude. Not knowing if she should stay apologizing or run off, she sat still on her legs, eyes wide. Waddles climbed off of him to move next to her, but she was frozen in place.

He visibly frowned at her lack of response. "Are you deaf? I just said that—"

His voice caught in his throat as an intense pain soared throughout his side when he tried to gesture her to leave. With a moan of pain, he slumped down onto his back once more. The gritty, solid bark gave no assistance to his current trial. Mabel snapped out of her daze the moment her kind heart took over. How did she overlook his injuries? He was _hurt!_

"What's wrong?" She instantly crawled over to his side and saw his face was contorted in pain. Examining his state, his seemingly dapper clothes were a mess, and his side was exposed. A large, nasty burn was stuck to his side, leaking out blood in an alarming rate. Her own expression twisted slightly at the sight, yet she didn't back down. Bill could feel the comfort that reached out to him from her aura. Nonetheless, he still managed to bare his teeth at her.

"Geez, are you _dumb?_ Who goes closer to their killer?" Mabel's face fell noticeably, but she unexpectedly pinched his cheek, hard. Even though he was a good-looking boy who was literally bleeding to death, he sure had no manners.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Bill whined in a childish manner. He remarked afterwards, indicating he read her mind. "I don't die, so your concern is wasted."

She blushed suddenly, hoping he didn't read the other part. Shaking her head adamantly, she eyed him suspiciously.

"Geez, are _you_ dumb?! Who doesn't look for help when they're hurt? Especially this badly!" She used his words against him as she inquired strongly. He just crossed his arms defiantly, "I don't need anyone's help, and that includes some _human_ like you!"

She bit her cheek, feeling greatly surprised at how insulted she was. Then, a cheery smile cracked onto her face. He noted that it was a bit too cheery to be real.

"Since you asked so very nicely, I'll make sure to pay you a visit everyday until you're all better!"

He panicked inwardly. He would have to deal with her everyday until he was healed? Even he wasn't sure how long that would take, and he definitely didn't want to hear her squeaky voice and shiny face from now on. Something about her soul was making him think unclearly, and not as he usually did. Almost as if it was… affecting him, in a way he certainly didn't want to be affected!

This girl was either straight-up stupid or crazy to stay with him, though. Why hadn't he killed her yet?!

"See you tomorrow, mysterious boy! Come on, Waddles!"

She skipped away in victory, and he laid there, dumbfounded. Maybe if he had told her his name, then she would've ran for the hills before any part of their conversation could have occurred. Stanford must've mentioned him sometime about being annoying or vicious, right? Bill decided to think about it later since his mind was worn out. But he planned to tell the girl his name the next time she came. He ignored the strange tickling sensation in his chest; the same one he felt the first time he saw her. With a low grumble, he drifted off to sleep.

Back at the shack, Dipper sulked on the porch as he waited for his sister to return with his pig. He seemed too upset at the moment to worry about where she went. All he knew was that she was going to start taking Waddles outside early in the morning.

It was already a few days since the incident with Pacifica. He slapped his forehead once he realized his mistake. If he joined the academy, he _would_ be mixed in with the younger children, and he'd be the laughing stock of the older kids. Great, more bullies, just what he _didn't_ need. Yet, who was going to teach him now? Argh, if only...

Dipper sighed and remembered why he wanted to learn Soul Fighting so much. To protect his sister, and now, even his great uncles. He had a family again. He couldn't be just another burden.

"Hey, kid, what's wrong?" Stan popped up and sat next to him. Dipper shifted slightly to face him. "I think I'm making a mistake, Grunkle Stan. How could I ever be a Soul Fighter? Not to mention being one of the best…"

Ford overheard their conversation from within the shack. He opened the door, causing his brother and his grandnephew to look at him. Swiftly, he sat on the other side of the younger, "And here I thought you were smarter than that, Dipper!"

"What?" He looked at him in confusion.

"You've got two great uncles that can teach you all you need to know, and more!" Ford told him. Stan added, "Yeah! You don't need to go waste your time somewhere else, just waste your time here!"

Without sparing a glance, Ford elbowed him.

Dipper couldn't believe his ears. They were right! He didn't need that academy if he had his grunkles! As a bright smile dawned on his face, he outstretched his arms as far as he could to fit both of them into an attempt of an embrace.

"Thank you, thank you!"

Stan grinned at the kid's excitement, and Ford chuckled a little with him. Once he let go, Ford designated the times and what exactly they would be practicing and learning, while Dipper listened avidly. He was practically bouncing in his seat.

"This is great! I can't wait to tell Mabel!"

Stan noticed that she wasn't around and scratched his chin, "Yeah, where is she, anyways?"

Dipper perked up as if he'd just remembered, "Oh, taking out Waddles; her new routine."

Just then, she appeared with said pig beside her. She was also smiling from ear to ear, much to her family's qualms. Mabel placed her hands on her hips, "What? A girl can't be happy coming out of the woods?"

"Compelling argument, Mabel. But, guess what!" Dipper didn't even wait for her to respond and continued on, "I don't need that snobby academy! I'll just learn on my own with our Grunkles!"

Mabel shared her excitement with Dipper as they both hopped up and down in place. She cheered, "That's awesome, Dipper! I got some good news too!"

He blithely inquired, "Yeah?!"

She responded with the same nonchalantness, "I met this injured and mean blonde boy who can produce flames on his hands!"

"WHAT?" Ford's abrupt shout paused their repetitive movement. He simmered down swiftly and refrained from showing his embarrassment, "Mabel, do you know his name?"

She thought about it, but shook her head sheepishly. He only grew more worried at how their encounter played out.

"Do you know what he looks like?"

"Oh, yeah! Messy blonde hair, yellow coat with coat tails, black pants, hat, bowtie, and shoes, and a weird eye patch on his right eye…" She described him dreamily and oddly very detailed, listing each component with a finger. "I think he looks pretty good in yellow and black, too."

Ford inhaled a sharp breath, and Stan just groaned.

"What's up?" Dipper didn't really catch on, and looked between the both of them for the answer. Ford laid a hand on his grandniece's shoulder and looked her in the eye. It was a bit unsettling for her, but he spoke anyways, "Listen, dear. That boy you met was… Bill Cipher. He's a notorious dream-demon of Gravity Falls. Even though he isn't exactly the most dangerous type around, he can still cause trouble."

Stan piped up while scratching the back of his head, "Sweetie, it's best if you make sure not to come in contact with him from now on."

Mabel frowned at this discovery. So, sure, she just arrived in town, and didn't know as much as her great uncles did. Sure, he threatened to murder her in cold blood. _Sure,_ his cuteness was eliminating all rational thought. However, she believed that he wasn't as bad as he people made him out to be! Was she the only one that had this kind of judgement towards people? Their words and actions were all kinds of hostile, but their was just this _feeling_ they gave out, and a _look_ in their eyes that spoke otherwise.

"I'm sorry, but he didn't try to hurt me at all! Or well, he couldn't because he was injured… and then he did threaten me… but no! He can be good, I know it!"

Before Ford continue the argument, Dipper interrupted, "Do you plan on meeting him again?"

She shuffled her weight on each feet and nodded. "Every day, until he is healed."

Dipper clapped his hands together and declared, "Good, I'll come with you next time, on behalf of our Grunkles."

"What? Stanley and I can just go ourselves with her!" Ford disagreed quickly. But Dipper just shook his head. "If he knows you both like you two know him, then chances are he'll teleport somewhere else so you don't banish him or whatever."

It's not like he knew how to banish Cipher, but his grandnephew had a point. It wouldn't do much for them if he ended up fleeing before they got there. Ford sighed and Stan got the memo. They weren't going with them.

Dipper just smiled and put a thumbs up next to his face cheekily, "Don't worry, I'll make sure to be extra critical."

His statement earned approving nods from his great uncles and an eyeroll from his twin sister.

Suddenly, they heard the sounds of talking and leaves crunching underneath footsteps. A group of people appeared in front of them, all holding cameras and wearing tacky shirts. A man in the front had stepped up to ask, "Is this the Mystery Shack?"

While the twins were confused as to why these random tourists were here, Grunkle Stan grinned and flew his arms outwards to gesture the building. "Why, yes it is! Come one and come all to these items that you won't find anywhere else!"

Grunkle Ford pulled the twins over as Stan led the people inside. He gave a quick explanation before they could ask, "Sometimes in my research, I get parts and pieces I don't need. So, Stanley takes them and sells them. Although, the shack isn't always open."

Dipper and Mabel made a small noise of understanding before they decided there was nothing left for them to do at home. Both bid goodbye to their great uncle. There was still more to be explored in their town.

* * *

Pacifica's boots clicked as she walked down the hallway. Finding the room she needed, she knocked twice before walking inside. The teacher welcomed her as the students stood back in silence. She asked, "What's the problem?"

The teacher chuckled nervously and brought her to the control panel of the simulation where students would train. Except, it wouldn't turn on. And it actually produced a bit of a spark and smoke before whining down. The teacher flinched while Pacifica just took out a communication crystal from the small pouch on her belt. After putting in a certain dial on the surface, she called, "Ramirez or McGucket! Room 308-C needs a problem fixed."

It wasn't long until she got, "On it, ma'am!"

She smiled patronizingly sweet at the teacher before rushing out. The meeting was to start soon, and she just wanted to get it over with. As Pacifica was walking in stride to the teleportation pad that was installed in her office, a lady hurried up to walk beside her. "Seven minutes and forty-two seconds until it starts, headmistress. I got you your papers and a pen!"

Once she got to her destination, she took the items hastily and gave her a nod of gratitude. In no time, she saw the white light consume her vision and felt her body tingling all over. In a blink of an eye, she was somewhere new. A grand building filled her vision as the rising sun gave it a holy glow. There were older men and women standing around, talking amongst themselves.

She started walking fast-paced again. Arriving at the two doors, she entered carefully and slid into her seat at the long-rounded table. Some of them took notice of her, but didn't choose to interact. The others inside the room were talking in hushed voices or different languages. Pacifica always hated feeling small compared to the other academy headmasters, but she had no choice for these meetings.

Soon, everyone was surging into the room and settling in their positions. All seats at the table were divided by continent, country, then region. She was the leader of all the academies in the northwest of the United States, which left her quite a bit to manage when it came to keeping up with the status of the entire region. It wasn't unbearable, she supposed, with all of her secretaries and other staff workers. She watched as the executive leader joined them from the inside of the building. He managed the entire system of Soul Fighter academies. He had inherited from his family's bloodline, who had built it up from working with several others until it became a worldwide chain.

Bud Gleeful was as friendly as he looked, but she's never seen him draw his weapon. Although, no one would dare fight him, so she had never seen his skill or power either. It made her wonder how he stayed in power and kept a grip on all sectors.

"Greetings, 'fellas! And ma'ams." He tipped his fancy white hat at only her, which only made her sink a little more into her seat. "I'm glad you could make it all today! As it seems, there has been an increase of small happenings here and there where darkness sprouts, producing monsters."

He displayed a chart that had the entire world on it, and red spots varying in a few areas. Pacifica analyzed the projection and quickly noticed that Gravity Falls had more clumped up dots than the other locations of the world.

"As you can see here, my officers Durland and Blubs made an evaluation of all the sighted sprouts. It's happening in Gravity Falls the most for inexplicit reasons."

Some of the headmasters started to whisper as questions arose in their heads. Bud stopped them before they became too noisy, "Settle down. We're going to find out soon enough with the researchers we have on our team. But with generations of new Soul Fighters coming in, they'll be able to handle it. Over the years, we may come up with a solution, but for now, we'll have to hold it back."

Afterwards, the meeting went on about other things, but Pacifica didn't really focus on it much. More monsters, and possibly demons, would be appearing in or around Gravity Falls. It was ultimately up to her to make sure that the Soul Fighters were trained well enough to fight back, and to not die. She'd have to start assigning certain classes to hold down the various sprouts of evil. She shuddered at the thought of losing her students to a mission.

Once it came to a close, Bud went over to the blonde headmistress and smiled, "Pacifica Northwest, how are you?"

"I'm good, thank you. Is there anything you need?"

"Yes, well, I'm sure you're already coming up with a plan and all to make sure that your students are properly trained to fight." She nodded in confirmation. He questioned, "Have you thought of having a strategist come with you to these meetings? It would help you lift off some work if someone else were there to do this part for you."

Pacifica frowned at this. She saw other headmasters bring their own, but she had no one she thought was good enough for it. "It's fine, I got it. Thank you for the concern."

Bud Gleeful just tipped his hat again and bid her farewell. She made a bee-line to the teleportation pad. Who knew when the first major strike would come? She didn't want to be unprepared when it happened. Soon, death would be closer than it seemed, and she couldn't have her students failing and her citizens at risk. Once more, she was at her own academy. The lady from before greeted her as her boots lightly touched the pad, but she quickly commanded, "Get me the planning team."

The lady did as she was told and Pacifica rushed to the room where the conferences was held. She made a mental note that she also had to prepare herself in what would come.

* * *

Dipper curiously examined the two tickets that his sister possessed. Mabel had claimed it appeared out of nowhere and drifted in her hands. It read, "One-Time Use to Gideon Gleeful's Wonder Show."

They were short slips of paper of a maroon color. A chubby, young boy's face with poofed up hair was poking his cheek cutely while his other hand gestured to the words.

Mabel waved them around. "We should go! I heard he travels a lot so we may never see him again!"

"Gideon… Gleeful?" Dipper stuck his tongue out in thought. The name was strikingly familiar. Then, it hit him like a brick to the face. This was the final person that Grunkle Ford had warned them about. Dipper revealed this to Mabel, who just responded with, "Well, so far I believe two of them are actually good, so maybe he might be, too?"

Her brother replied, "That hasn't even been proven yet, Mabel. And this time, we actually know his name before we meet him. If we go now, we'll be ignoring Grunkle Ford's warning to stay away."

Mabel contemplated with his reasoning. She really wanted to see the supposed spectacular show, but she didn't want to be disobedient too much. It was already enough that they could visit Bill again tomorrow. "Well, maybe—?"

A voice interrupted them as Grunkle Ford came from behind and surprised them both, "Kids! I got a ticket to that Gleeful kids' show! Ha ha, yes!"

He pumped his fist in success, but Dipper looked at him, puzzled. "Why is that a good thing?"

"You see, that boy had made it so no ticket vendor would let me buy a ticket. I guess he's afraid that I'm too much of a threat. But I picked this up from one of the customers at the Mystery Shack who dropped it. This means I can go into his show and stop this hoax, a dangerous one at that!"

"Dangerous?" Mabel asked uncertainly.

"Yes, the magic he produces doesn't give the same aura as a soul weapon does. In fact, it feels mixed up and unorthodox." He kneeled down and surveyed the area. There was no one in a ten-feet radius. Not taking any chances, he leaned in closer to whisper, "I believe that in his shows, the amulet he uses gathers soul essence from everyone in the audience. But, since there are so many people, it only takes small amounts from each person. However, one person that is selected at the finale of his shows ends up hazardly exhausted and weakened."

Mabel squirmed a bit and Dipper rubbed his arm. He admitted, "Uh, Grunkle Ford? We have tickets to his show, too."

Stanford looked surprised, "Is that so? Did you buy them?"

"No, it just poofed out of nowhere!" Mabel declared, gesticulating to emphasize. Their great uncle hummed in thought. He sighed, "You wouldn't happen to want to _use_ them, would you?"

"Maybe?" Mabel clasped her hands together, "Please, Grunkle Ford! This may be our only chance! And I know you said he's dangerous and probably a criminal, but what's the chances of something happening to us?"

He darted his eyes between the two of them, even though Mabel was the only one begging. Regardless, her puppy eyes were just too persuading. Ford caved, "Alright… usually, the people are too excited to notice their energy gets drained. But it shouldn't be too strong to bother you. Now, let's go get our seats before the entrance is packed with the customers."

Mabel clapped her hands with enthusiasm as Dipper felt his familiar paranoia nibbling at him.

At the show, Gideon was behind stage. He shook his arms to loosen up his baby blue blazer. The performances would begin soon. He peeked through the curtain to evaluate the audience. Skimming through, he caught sight of one peculiar girl. The same girl with the long, wavy, brown hair and brilliant smile. Everyone else seemed to be blurry as she stood out. He grinned from ear to ear as his heart jumped for joy. She was so _close_ to being in his clutches, even if that wasn't his main goal. Having a queen by his side would sure be lovely.

The young child celebrity was waiting for his cue, and so was Stanford. His plan was to bring out a small laser gun that shot with silent precise aim and break the amulet. With that, his show would stop, and he wouldn't be able to summon another one since it wasn't an actual soul weapon. This would lead to a grand exposure of his scam that he calls a "magical act."

The twins, on the other hand, had been enjoying the show so far. They were trying to bury the feeling of anxiety of what may happen when Gideon would appear, and how Stanford would execute his plan. Mabel had been successful for the most part, but Dipper felt it bothering him greatly.

Ford triple checked his invention, making sure that it wouldn't fail him when it mattered most. The gun concentrated heat energy particles into a fine point, which took a while. Hypothetically, he had one shot of destroying it without having to actually confront Gideon. Just then, the announcer had quieted down the excited audience. With a quick introduction for Gideon, he vanished off the stage.

Then, the young child appeared on stage dramatically.

"Hiya, friends!" There was a moment of cheering. Gideon smiled, "Usually, this would be held for last, but I'd like to do my famous finale first! Allow me to select a random person in the crowd!"

The normal occurrence of the screaming and clawing happened once again. They shot their hands and pushes others out of their way. But Gideon already had his eyes set on someone. With a quick crack of his neck, a roll of his wrist, and an unnecessary pull on his blazer, he pointed right at Mabel. Dipper was felt his lungs freeze as shock filled his mind. Ford was outright enraged, prepared to make a scene. However, Mabel was already being pushed up front.

"Tell me, darlin', what's your name?" Gideon grabbed her hand and gave her a flirty look. Mabel tried not to wince at how clammy it was. _Must be from his hard-work_ , she tried to convince herself. He led her farther away from the bleachers and towards the center of the platform. Sitting her down on a chair, he held his mini microphone from his shirt close to her mouth.

"It's Mabel!" She grinned as convincingly as possible, albeit the intensity of this situation. Her great uncle warned her about him and what he did to the people that were in her same position. He fixed the mic back onto his shirt and gestured to the crowd, "Well, folks, let's give ourselves a hand of applause to this lovely Mabel!"

The crowd gave rounds of applause as Dipper was freaking out on his grunkle. His voice came out as a whisper, grazing the surface of a yell. "What do we do? What will you do? What is gonna happen to Mabel?!"

"Calm down, boy! It'll do you no good if you are worrying about what will happen instead of finding ways to prevent it from happening!" Stanford pulled out his gun stealthily and charged it up. Dipper gasped sharply at the sight of it. He wasn't going to _kill_ Gideon, right? He was still just a boy!

The star child announced, "Now, watch as I manipulate her to somewhere else, with my soul weapon!"

Ford steadied his aim at the collar of his chest, where the amulet was located. Gideon had rose his hands and begun lifting Mabel up high with her still in the chair. The audience "ooh-ed" and "aww-ed" as Mabel clutched her seat. She refused to look down, only hoping that her great uncle or twin brother would do something soon. As much as she tried to believe that Gideon meant no harm, she started to feel an overwhelming amount of apprehension towards him.

Dipper gripped his fists so tightly, he nearly felt his nails puncture his skin. Mabel was going to be okay, she had to be. If he lost her, he wouldn't know what to do.

Suddenly, the chair was ripped from her hold, and she was suspended in the air. She nearly screamed, but it stayed in her throat due to the discovery that she wasn't falling. The audience went wild, their hands flew in front of Ford's line of sight. With a frustrated growl, he attempted to find another opportunity to aim and shoot. However, he realized if he broke the amulet, the power holding Mabel up would disperse and she'd plummet to the ground.

Before Ford could think up of another plan, long strips of cloth started to swirl and surround Mabel. Everyone leaned in to watch what would happen next. The Pines were no exception. Dipper's gaze locked with his sister's, and he saw the severe fear in her eyes. A pang in his heart had him gulping for air.

He blinked, and she was gone.

* * *

 **CLIFFY! Is this how evil it feels to write cliffhangers?!**

 **Anyways, the world they live in is kinda similar to our Earth except the lands are kind've closer and join together, if you can imagine. This is the longest chapter I've written!**

 **Rewritten: 8/19/17**

 **HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 'till next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**HAAAPPYYY HALLOWEEEEN! HOPE YOU ENJOY MY CANDY! And here we are!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

Gideon caressed the unconscious girl's cheek, she was cold to the touch. Yet, he was used to that, and he made sure that she would be fine. Mabel was a beautiful name for such a gorgeous young girl. She'd make a fine queen to stand next to. Her personality was also acceptable, but what he noticed most now was her soul.

In the midst of absorbing it, he had felt a weird sensation overcome him. It gave him feelings of guilt for his wrong-doings. But then he heard the quiet sound of glass breaking, and saw that his amulet had a small crack in the middle. He ended the show quickly, making his way off the stage angered and confused. With the crack in his amulet, the soul essence he gained would be slowly drained out.

Why was there suddenly a crack in his amulet? He couldn't find a good answer to his question, leaving him clueless. He had a sneaking suspicion that Stanford may have done something. But that was impossible! He was banned from buying his tickets, and the crowd would be too wild to do something in. He couldn't focus too much how the crack had formed, he had to get it fixed.

In the meantime, Dipper stood outside of the building where the show was held.

"I'd like to speak with Gideon Gleeful, please, my sister was the lucky person selected." Dipper gritted through his teeth. Stanford chose to stay behind. He'd find another way in to help him get Mabel back if he had to. Chances were that the guards knew his great uncle, but they let him in easy seeing his similarity to the chosen girl. He fixed his pine tree hat firmly on his head and started searching.

He found his sister in no time, knocked out with the child creep sitting next to her. He was slowly running his fingers through her hair, and had the audacity to pick up a lock and sniff it. Dipper nearly ran over to stop his disturbing actions, but held his composure. He didn't know exactly know how malicious Gideon could be. He had to be cautious.

Dipper cleared his throat and Gideon snapped around in surprise. Discovering that it was just him, the Gleeful kid gave him an innocent smile and asked, "Somethin' I can do for ya, boy?"

The male brunette tried not to scowl since he was clearly older than him. "That's my sister. I'd like her back, please."

Gideon hesitated for a brief moment before laughing it off, "Of course! I just thought I'd let her rest here 'till she woke up. Guess my show may have been a bit too much for her to handle, you know?"

Dipper awkwardly chuckled with the child celebrity before moving over to pick up his female sibling. As the twin was struggling to set his sister on his back, Gideon couldn't help but frown. There was something awfully familiar with the two, but not that they were twins. They reminded him of those accursed Pines twins. One set of Pines twins was enough, but was it possible that there was two?

"Thanks, I'll be going now." Dipper was firmly carrying the unconscious Mabel on his back, and hastily escaped. The question was left hanging on the 'special' child's tongue. He muttered to himself, "Drat."

Once they were out of sight from the show, Stanford took Mabel from Dipper's hold to carry her instead. He was taken aback when he felt her skin. She was too cold for the early August night. They rushed to the Mystery Shack with the girl in his arms.

Grunkle Stan was perplexed to see his grandniece knocked out and his grandenephew with a frightened look on his face. As Ford went to put her to bed and to start evaluating her condition, Dipper explained to Stan everything that happened.

"That little freak," the older man grimaced, "I don't think he's exactly done with her yet, either…"

Like he'd let Gideon lay his grubby hands on his sister again, Dipper thought to himself scornfully. Just then, Stanford called them upstairs to break the news. Waddles followed them up curiously.

"Using a spell, I checked her soul essence. It's drastically lower than normal, so she'll need time to recover. She might wake up after a few days or more." They stared at the sleeping girl in distraught. Her pet pig was licking her hand and oinked softly. Dipper remember the dire expression she had during the show. It hurt him so much knowing he couldn't have done anything about it.

"Grunkle Ford, can we start my training tomorrow? After I check with Bill?" His great uncle licked his dry lips and nodded. It'd be best that he started learning as soon as possible.

Suddenly, they heard a light tinkling sound, much to Dipper's ignorance and the grunkles' annoyance. Waddles was already cuddled up next to the sleeping female twin.

"That's my crystal communicator, I'll go pick it up," Ford enlightened the young twin, then left the room. Stan and Dipper could hear the older man downstairs raise his voice briefly. He came back up with a glower clear on his face.

"The Northwest wanted to meet with me tomorrow," he informed them, "My apologies, my boy. But it will only be Stan to teach you tomorrow."

"You can't just decline?" Dipper's brows furrowed, but Ford just shook his head. "It appears that it is too important to skip, so until then, you'll learn without me."

With that, he walked off to gather items he may need to bring for tomorrow. Stan put a comforting hand on his grandnephew's back and consoled him, "It's gonna be fine, kid. I'll get you started with the basics tomorrow. After you survive an encounter with that dream-demon, of course."

Dipper chuckled lightly, "Got it."

He yawned and a wave of exhaustion flew over his body. All that stress and worrying had tired him out. Stan told him to get some sleep and he slowly nodded. The door shut, and it was just Dipper and Mabel. The male twin checked his sister's comatose state once more before sliding under the blankets of his own bed. His anxious thoughts were circling around his mind until sleep took him away.

* * *

Dipper jolted upright. Another nightmare plagued his sleep. Unfortunately, there was no Mabel to jokingly threaten him about giving him worst ones. He couldn't believe it had only been about a week since they moved into Gravity Falls and so much had happened already.

He looked out the window and saw the grey sky of morning. The brunette switched into his daily clothes after checking his sister. She was supposed to get up to take Waddles out, yet she made no move to do so. He sighed and decided to do it himself.

Dipper tapped his chin thoughtfully, he never asked his twin exactly where Bill was, or how she found him in the first place. He felt like facepalming himself again. How was he supposed to provide ultimate judgement on the guy if he didn't even know where he was!

Unexpectedly, Waddles took off. Dipper stood frozen in shock before chasing after Mabel's pig. She'd kill him if she woke up to find her precious pet was gone! For a moment, he briefly wondered if she would wake up hearing that kind of news in her sleep.

Not used to this kind of physical activity, Dipper leaned his hand against the trunk of a tree and heavily panted. He let go after his breathing returned to normal. However, he noticed that the tree he rested on was burnt black. Dipper examined his surroundings and was bewildered at how lifeless the area was.

A short memory instantly played in his head. The screams of terror, the sprays of blood from people he knew well. Hot red and orange engulfed the town as his parents and others fought. They were gradually falling, one by one. His parents had their last stand against one of the demons, before ultimately—

A cry of pain disrupted his flashback, and he realized he was breathing heavily again. Although, not from running pathetically. Shaking out of his daze, he looked to the distance. Dipper saw Waddles on top of some person laying underneath a healthy green tree. Was that Bill Cipher?

"Is this how it's going to be everytime, pig?" The male brunette could make out distinctly. He analyzed that the blonde boy really did look as young as him and Mabel. Bill was just laying down, perhaps a result of his injuries. He started to feel a bit apprehensive now about going by himself to confront the dream-demon. He decided to be wary of any move that he would make or thing he'd say.

He watched as the blonde seemed to be looking around, and took that as his cue. Dipper made his way to him, much to Bill's surprise. Waddles hopped off his chest once more and sat beside the male twin's leg.

"You… you…"

Bill was speechless and Dipper wondered if the dream-demon knew him somehow. The brunette nearly fell backwards when a gloved finger was instantly thrusted in his direction.

"You're a cross-dresser, Shooting Star?! I would have never expected that from you! I mean, I don't have a lot against it, don't get me wrong! I just thought—!"

Dipper was frozen still for a moment as Bill was rambling on. The blonde thought that he was a girl? Who was 'Shooting Star,' his sister?

"Although, you could do a lot better. I can still see a lot of femininity in your disguise." Screw careful and cautious! That was a huge blow to his pride and masculinity! He abruptly started yelling back at the dream-demon who was now sitting up.

"I'm no cross-dresser, you idiot! I'm her brother! And here I thought there was something I had to be afraid of!"

"At least I can't be mistaken for a girl!" Bill hissed back, ignoring the pain that was throbbing in his side. He didn't know the name of this brat either. Using the boy's clothing to nickname him, he finished with, "Pine Tree!"

Dipper smirked arrogantly, "The only one who's ever made such a brainless mistake was you, you schlepper!"

"Schlepper?" Bill squinted at the brunette as if he couldn't see him clearly, "Who in the world would say that? Out of anyone, I wouldn't want to hear it from you!"

"You're too much of an imbecile to understand, I should've known!"

"I'm evil, not stupid! All of you humans are such morons, you especially!"

"Why don't you go join the Queen in England? You're worthless as a demon, I'm sure she wants a new butler!"

"Is this what you think butlers look like?! I'm top of the top class, you fool! This cloth is worth more than you'll ever make in your life!"

Suddenly, Bill yelped as the pig ripped off a small piece of his coat tail. He grabbed the shredded fabric with trembling gloved-hands and mourned momentarily, before the entire area burst into bright blue and yellow flames. Bill Cipher flew up dramatically with his hands engulfed in the flames as well. His voice boomed demonically as Dipper started to back away.

"I'LL KILL YOU! AFTER I COOK THAT PIG INTO BACON!"

Dipper felt himself struck with fear and quickly scooped up Waddles. He started running as far as he could from the enraged dream-demon while the pig happily chewed on the piece of cloth. The brunette narrowly dodged several fireballs thrown his way and made sure to not run into any of the flames.

Bill Cipher didn't get very far, his side was producing an annoyingly large amount of pain for him. As he laid back down, he watched the male twin run off with the pig.

He decided he definitely liked Shooting Star better.

* * *

Stanford drummed his six fingers on the table as he waited for the girl to arrive. Seriously, who arranges an important meeting without actually coming on time? The other strategists looked at him nervously, but not in his eyes. Stanford had already fixed his glasses as they fell down his nose, twirled a pen in his hand, and drew a very detailed eye on his paper as they waited for the headmistress.

The doors opened and Pacifica walked in, but Ford could see a little tension in her movements. She sat at the head of the table, and signaled something at one of the other men at the table. The man stood up to clear his throat and spoke directly to him, "According to our headmistress' last meeting, there has been sprouts or small rifts that open in this plane for short amounts of time. However, it allows monsters or demons to enter our world and can cause serious havoc among our people. Gravity Falls was labeled the number one town for most sightings."

Ford recorded his speech in notes. He sat down and another stood up, "It's up to the headmistress to properly train and practice the students of this academy. They will be prepared for life and death situations, and various classes will be assigned to go on missions to clear any monsters or demons that have trespassed our world."

Yet again, the other man sat down, and another man stood up. Ford recognized his old colleague, Fiddleford McGucket, "Currently, the cause of the sudden increase in openings are unknown. So, we have called for you to help us figure it out so we can lower it."

Then, they were all sitting down to wait for his response. Ford put a hand to his chin, this was very important information, indeed. He wondered if the openings would keep increasing, and the duration of the sprouts. He'd have to find out a solution soon before this was all too much to handle for the Soul Fighters.

"I will help out with this case, but not always. However, this will be one of my top priorities." He didn't bother mentioning teaching Dipper to be a skilled Soul Fighter as one of his other top priorities. Pacifica gave a brief smile of gratitude before they started assessing facts and a plan.

Meanwhile, Dipper was long gone from where the injured blonde boy was. He refused to turn around until he arrived at the Mystery Shack. Stan was sitting on the porch while waiting, unbothered by the sweaty, tired mess of his nephew. He grinned and asked, "I take it you met Cipher and pissed him off?"

The brunette looked at him in confusion and inquired, "How'd you know?"

Stan shrugged and said, "A lucky guess, and your hat is on fire."

Dipper hastily took his cap off and started to roughly slam it down on the grassy ground repeatedly until the flame went out. Then, he fixed his hair before putting it back on. He held up the pig with both hands and exclaimed, "Waddles pushed him over the brink! Not me! It should've been me, though! How does a pig anger demons better than me?!"

Stan rolled his eyes and said, "Just drop the pig, kid. We have to get started, remember?"

Dipper nodded and did as he was told. Waddles ran inside the shack, presumably to where Mabel was. Stan stood up to straighten his back and slowly walked towards the young brunette. Much to Dipper's surprise, Stan suddenly bursted forward after a few steps off the porch and aimed a punch at his stomach.

Dipper snapped out of his haze and dodged as quickly as possible, not wanting to experience another bruise on his abdomen. Stan put a hand on his shoulder before scolding him, "Too slow! That wasn't even my fist at its fastest! Next time, your dodge has to be on instinct."

Dipper gazed up at him attentively and questioned, "Does that mean…?"

"Yep," Stan clarified, "we'll start you off with the art of defense!"

* * *

Wendy groaned at the emergency assembly that had been called. The entire auditorium felt hot and humid, filled with a bunch of different conversations. She'd occasionally chat with her friends next to her. But for the most part, she sat still with her head in her hands. She waited for someone to walk on stage and begin speaking.

Her wish was granted as Pacifica appeared on stage and walked to the podium. The audience went quiet as she started to talk, "Small sprouts and rifts of darkness has been opening in and around Gravity Falls for short periods of time. It allows dark beings such as monsters and even demons to slip into our reality. We aren't completely sure how, but for now we are to hold them back. It is our duty as Soul Fighters to protect the citizens and each other."

Small instances of whispering occurred, but she continued on, "Training will change, with death closer than it seems, we must start preparing you for the worst. Younger classes will begin to have harsher and faster paced learning, and the older classes will be assigned to these openings and will clear the area of monsters or demons. Death is highly possible if you cannot follow through with protocol."

Wendy gulped. She would be one of the many to face off against an evil being. More than several of the students started to glance nervously at each other. A few others looked as if they were already seeing death itself.

However, Pacifica didn't stop speaking, "I ask of you, do not be scared. This is our world, it isn't controlled by darkness and it will never be!"

She saw a some of them nod in agreement and looked to her for reassurement. "We were born for this, to fight back and keep the light shining through. Believe in me, your peers and yourself."

"Because we are Soul Fighters!" Her voice rang throughout the entire auditorium. All of the students rose up wildly as they trusted her words. Whistles and applauds were thrown her way. But she only smiled, a little breathless from her motivating announcement. They were all determined to work hard in the academy, and it was up to her to lead them.

Wendy was surprised that the headmistress could make such a speech. But she also believed her words to be true. She wasn't going lay back as her classmates ran forward. With a newfound resolution, she'd fight with all of her strength using her soul weapon.

The redhead saw that Tambry and the others were hesitant in this new drastic change. But with those final words spoken, the majority of the students were committed to protecting Gravity Falls. The audience slowly dissipated, ready for the new revision that would be in store for them.

* * *

 **HAAAAAPPPYYYY HAALLLOOOWWEEEEN! AGAIN! Preach, Pacifica, preach! Thank you to all my followers and favorite-ers! Hope you enjoyed the chapter, pce!**


	6. Chapter 6

**aaaaaAAAAAHHHH WHY IS WEIRDMAGGEDON 2 SO FAR AWAY BUT AT THE SAME TIME I DON'T WANNA DIE AGAIN BUT I DOOOOO!**

 **anyways, here you are! Thank you again to those who keep reading on!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

 _Mabel blinked her eyes once, then twice. She looked down at the gift in her hands, then up to her mother. She smiled approvingly and her father nodded her to go on._

 _The young girl pulled the ribbon gently, and it unraveled around the box. She carefully lifted the lid and set it aside. Reaching inside, she graciously pulled out a pink sweater with a shooting star on the front. Mabel ran her fingers across the knitting, and her mother laughed sheepishly, "I know it's not as good as your work, but we thought since you always make us articles of clothing, we would return the favor."_

 _Their daughter stared at it thoughtfully, and for a fleeting moment the parents had thought they had failed. But they barely caught her whisper, "I love it…"_

 _Mabel's grin grew brighter as she tightly hugged the sweater and swung it around. "I love it, I love it, I love it! Thank you so much!"_

 _Her brother was also smiling as his sister gleefully brought both of their parents in a passionate hug. His reaction was quite almost the same as hers when he received his pine tree hat by them._

 _The father beamed at them lovingly and the mother was laughing joyfully, "Happy twelfth birthday, Dipper and Mabel!"_

The words were ringing in her ears as Mabel opened her eyes lazily. That memory brought a wave of sadness she hadn't felt in a while. She seemed messy and oily, and also dehydrated. Looking around, she noticed it was dark outside, and her brother was fast asleep. Despite her aching body, she got up quietly and took a shower. After putting on her day clothes, the female twin walked down the stairs to get a glass of water.

As she sipped the liquid, she wondered how long she was out. All she remembered was passing out after she was teleported to an unknown room with a comfy bed. She felt exhausted and drained of energy, so she closed her eyes to take a nap.

A soft oink interrupted her pondering. She looked over at the doorway to see Waddles staring at her with anticipation. Mabel then realized, Bill was left unattended. She felt a bit bad for accidentally breaking her promise. The brunette got up and stealthily slipped out of the door, with her pig following behind.

The forest was quiet, except with the occasional cricket to break the silence. The rustling of the grass stopped as she started to walk upon the ashy ground. Soon, she found him in the same spot where she left him. He seemed to be asleep when she made it over to him.

The female brunette stared at his well-rounded face. His top hat laid next to him as his body was faced up towards the sky. His lips were thin, his blonde hair covered most of his forehead, but his eyepatch was still apparent on his face. He had long eyelashes, she realized. Yet, his overall features gave him a very attractive look for such a young man.

She nearly screamed when his eye snapped open and looked directly at her. He was smirking while she had a blushing horrified look on her face. Mabel started to lightly slap his chest with both hands and he slightly winced. "You did that on purpose, you jerk!"

He pouted at her, paying no attention to the burn on his side that had healed a bit, yet still stung painfully, "Is that how you thank someone for waking you up from a comatose state?"

She stopped her repetitive movement to stare at him once again. "You woke me up? But what about…"

"Your soul?" He finished for her, "If you needed it, I would have let you keep sleeping. But I just checked and it seems fine, which is actually pretty surprising."

"Oh… but, why? Why did you wake me up?" She inquired hesitantly, although he only shrugged in response.

"I met your brother yesterday, let's say the it didn't go that well. I would rather deal with you than deal with him."

Mabel frowned since it was insulting to her twin and it sounded insulting to her as well. But she didn't bother with it. Instead, she stripped herself of her sweater and folded it neatly before placing it down on the ground. Bill looked at her puzzled with slight heat on his face as she laid down next to him.

"What? I'm still kind've tired anyways…"

The dream-demon was new to this solemn attitude of hers. It was very unfitting, even though he didn't know her that long at all. Did it have something to do with the dream he awoke her with? He was still unaware as to how she was unconscious in the first place. He brought up the question, "Shooting Star, why were you knocked out for so long?"

"Gideon happened." She said sleepily. The thoughts clicked in his head quickly, it all made sense. Of course Gideon would choose her as his final volunteer, and her soul paid for it as a result. Luckily, it seemed that it was still that unreadable bright yellow.

"Aren't you worried I'll kill you once you fall asleep?" He grinned at her maniacally, but she just stared back up at him and replied, "No."

With that, she was sleeping once again. The dream-demon looked at her irritably as her chest rose up and down. That certainly wasn't the answer he was expecting. This girl always seemed to surprise him, and he was supposed to be the one who kept people on their toes. He contemplated for a moment if he should fill her sleep with nightmares, or get rid of her for good.

But his thoughts were muddled once more. He didn't have the same urge to strangle her or to force her into an evil scheme. It was almost as if he was starting to feel something other than destructive intentions, and maybe he was. At this sudden realization, he ran his fingers through his hair frantically. Nothing made sense, and it was all her fault.

"What are you doing to me…" He muttered into his hand, before also falling asleep.

However, even after a few more hours of sleep, the sun was rising earlier than he wanted it too. The blonde groaned at the rays of light. Shaking the brunette awake, she looked around startled before recalling the events of a few hours before.

"Think of this as your visit for the day, now get out." She stifled the desire to inflict more pain on his already injured body, and stood up to dust herself off. She slipped her sweater back onto her body and let out a loud "hmph." Mabel stomped away from the blonde with Waddles behind her.

By the time she reached her room, it was nearly time for them to wake up. She lightly shook Dipper's shoulder while calling his name. He opened his eyes and saw her before closing them again, grumbling about needing more sleep. He was so very sore from the intense exercise he had to do yesterday. Stan said he had to build up muscle and endurance and whatever to be a good fighter. All he needed was a few more hours…

Dipper shot straight up and realized that his sister was not in a deep slumber and was actually trying to wake him up. How ironic! He engulfed her in a tight hug to which she returned.

"I don't understand, it's only been a day! How are you awake?"

"Bill did it. He told me he'd rather have me for his company than you," she explained to him. Dipper decided not to mention that he wouldn't have even visited him the upcoming days, but instead asked, "What about you? Are you okay? And your soul, too?"

She waved his concern away, "Fine, he said it's all good. And don't worry, I said we can trust him, remember?"

"Yeah, but…"

"Trust me, bro-bro. But I do say that Gideon is a creep."

"Agreed."

Their conversation then switched to Dipper's side. He told her about his first day of training, and how Pacifica had taken Grunkle Ford to some important meeting. He informed her that later that day, Ford came back and explained to them what would be happening soon.

"More monsters and demons will be popping up? Why?" Mabel asked worriedly, but Dipper just shrugged. "No one knows yet, not even Grunkle Ford. But no problem, we Soul Fighters got this!"

Not wanting to dampen his spirits since he just started learning, Mabel agreed with him with a "woot" and a quick raise of her fist. They made their way downstairs, and the Grunkles were surprised as much as Dipper was. After they checked her over and threw a few questions at her for good measure, she described her story to them.

The female brunette saw the displeasure on both of their faces, but were glad she woke up early and okay.

"Remember sweetie, if that dream-demon tries anything, we'll come running," Stan told her, and Ford nodded in agreement. Then Dipper piped up, "So, what will I be doing today?"

Grunkle Ford smiled and asked, "Would you rather stay inside or outside?"

Dipper thought about it for a moment before answering, "Outside."

"Alright, I'll meet you out on the porch in a second. Go now." The younger male twin was shooed away and Ford went elsewhere in the shack. He came back with a rectangular box in his hands and headed out. Stan leaned back in his chair, glad to have his grandnephew off of his hands for the day.

Mabel realized that Dipper wouldn't have that much time to spend with her now that he would be training, much to her dismay. She decided to head out into town to find something she could do.

As Mabel was walking away, Dipper looked at his great uncle oddly. "What's this?

"Sit down and I'll show you." They both made themselves comfortable on the wooden planks. Ford took the contents out of the box, and it didn't take Dipper long for him to figure out what they were doing. "We're playing chess?"

"Exactly, my boy." Grunkle Ford confirmed. His grandnephew asked, "But why?"

"Not only do you have to learn how to be a great fighter, but you must think like one. Formulate your moves strategically, have several backup plans prepared if the initial plan fails, think quickly and critically in case of emergency. All of these will aid you, not only for Soul Fighting, but also for survival in general."

The pieces were all set up, and Ford grinned at the younger boy sitting across from him. "Are you ready?"

With brief hesitance, he nodded. Their game began with pawns moving forward, taking each other's out once or twice. His bishop was put out to the side, waiting for an opening. But Dipper felt sweat forming on his hands, he could see himself losing now. How was he supposed to beat one of the smartest people in the world?!

Suddenly, his knight was taken out by his great uncle's bishop. He shouldn't have made that space open, the younger male twin chided to himself. As he was having internal conflicts with himself about his next move, Grunkle Ford evaluated him. He thought carefully, but too slowly, and was afraid to make his move in fear of being incorrect. Dipper lacked self-confidence, but not logic.

As the game went on, more pieces were taken out, with Ford holding the advantage. His king was walled in the corner, protected by several of his bigger pieces. Dipper's king was in a vulnerable position, with his queen long fallen. He still had his bishop and a rook for better support, and a pawn that was in a standstill with an opposing pawn.

Ford slid his rook to aim at the king and declared, "Check."

Dipper saw that if he took that rook with his bishop, then his great uncle's queen would take it, leaving him still vulnerable. Dipper backed up his king to save him from destruction. But the older man only copied his movement.

"Check."

Dipper bit hit cheek, how would he get out of this? He'd have to draw the rook to his own pieces without stepping in the path of Ford's other power pieces. Dipper moved his king again, but this time Ford dragged his queen to hang over the doomed king.

"Check."

The nephew worry grew, his king was being pushed into the corner. He decided to move his rook in front of the queen's path, knowing that his bishop would take the queen if Grunkle Ford tried to take his rook. But much to Dipper's chagrin, his great uncle moved his other bishop to aim at his king. He had no way out of it this time.

"And, checkmate!" Ford stretched his arms as Dipper looked down dejectedly. He knew well that he was going to lose, but he still had some kind of hope that with a strike of luck, he'd win.

"Well that certainly lasted longer than I had anticipated. Good job, Dipper!" His grandnephew only looked at him weirdly, "But I lost."

"It's the thought that counts, literally. You put in a lot of effort to win, but there are some things you have to work on. Like, I saw how afraid you were because you didn't believe enough in your own strength. And that goes for both mind and body. Remember, you can always get better with practice. Hard work can beat talent."

Dipper nodded in understanding and started setting up his pieces. Ford did the same and cracked his knuckles with a grin. "Are you ready to go again?"

Dipper smiled back, "Are you?"

Their next game started as Mabel wandered through town, eyes sparkling whenever she caught sight of an interesting item. Suddenly, her ears caught the sound of rhythmic music. Her face lit up and she ran to the source, she hadn't danced in a long while. Once she arrived at the origin of the music, there was a flash mob happening.

She excitedly joined in, blending in perfectly with the other dancers. The bystanders took videos and pictures of the skillful dancers, but she paid no mind. This was the most fun she's had since forever!

After a few songs, she twirled to the side and breathed heavily. Two girls she didn't recognize walked over to greet her.

"My name is Candy Chiu, and this is Grenda, we are both from the Gravity Falls Soul Fighters Academy. We saw you join in and started dancing, and it was amazing!" The asian girl complimented and the bigger one nodded along. Mabel put a hand to her cheek and smiled, "Aw, thanks! I'm Mabel Pines."

"Hey Mabel, you wanna go do some other crazy girl stuff with us before we have to go back with our lives?!" Grenda shouted at her enthusiastically. Mabel shouted back, "Who do you think I am?! Let's get on it!"

The three new friends ran around town going through shops and trying out clothes they couldn't buy. They attempted to flirt with guys using the cheesiest pick-up lines, to which the guys would only be scared off. Grenda joined a hot dog eating contest with Candy and Mabel cheering her on at the sidelines. The muscular girl wipe her mouth before slamming down her fist on the table. She was victorious!

They ended up sitting on a fountain edge eating ice cream, where they were avidly conversing.

"So, Mabel, you are related to Stanford and Stanley Pines?" Candy questioned. Mabel nodded and Grenda followed up with, "Oh! Does that mean you can Soul Fight?"

The female brunette stopped her licking and chuckled nervously, "Well, no actually. I don't Soul Fight…"

Suddenly, her eyes caught onto a glowing sign atop a building. She grinned and turned to her friends, "But I can soul sing!"

After finishing their cold, creamy delicious treats, they ran towards the karaoke building. It seemed full, and a lot of the people were mostly teens. But that didn't stop Mabel from running on stage and performing for the pure entertainment for everyone. The crowd clapped and cheered as she attempted to do a flip and fell face first.

The party only got started.

* * *

"Honestly, Pacifica! That is just mediocre! You only crossed the entire four mile landscape in eight minutes and twenty-one seconds?! I didn't buy that territory for you to laze around like a slacker!"

The twelve-year-old blonde was kneeling with her hands on her lap as her father berated her harshly. Her mother would stand by and nod along with what he was saying. Preston continued, "Get up! Prepare for spar, Sergei!"

The older man, Sergei, stood across from her as she was on the other side. She got into her usual stance, and with a bright purple light, her sword appeared on her hand. It was a beautiful silvery white rapier with a violet handle. A curly pattern encrusted in the handle, and she firmly gripped it with her right hand.

Sergei summoned his own weapon, and their spar began. But in less than ten minutes, he was already pinned to the floor while unarmed by the headmistress. Pacifica nearly smiled, that was one of her quickest take-downs yet! But she only heard the disappointed clicking of her father's tongue.

"Pathetic. I swear, I wonder why you are leading the academy of all people! You're wasting your time instead of participating in your Northwest duties."

"Father, I rightfully gained my position because—"

The tinkling sound of the bell stopped her from talking. Frightening memories returned to her whenever she heard that ringing. The pain that was inflicted on her younger self both physically and mentally. The tears she would shed for hours without anyone to care. It traumatized her. Her father placed the bell back into his suit.

"That's enough for today."

With that, Preston and her mother exited the room. Sergei went off elsewhere, and Pacifica was left by herself. Her grip on her sword grew tighter as her father's words echoed in her head. It was always the same.

She stepped outside and strolled through the forest. She tried to stifle the growing negative feelings using nature's beauty. The woods were as serene as ever, undisturbed by human forces. Until she felt the presence of a chilling aura. How lucky of her to walk upon one of the small darkness sprouts, she thought sarcastically. She found the source of the unsettling air in no time.

The monster had a terrifying appearance, but she noticed that the sprout was no longer there. It was currently chewing on half the body of a poor deer. Pacifica glared at it as it turned to look at her. It had a disturbingly large amount of eyes, and bore a threatening dark red color. Before the evil being could react, she had launched forward and sliced off its arm with a sickening sound.

The monster cried a distorting sound as black blood sprayed from its open wound. Pacifica only dodged the attack it threw at her with its other arm and made a clean slice through its body. There was another cry before it disappeared into an inky blackness, leaving behind drops of black blood. Her long blonde hair fluttered behind her as she landed gracefully on a tree branch.

The young girl was left untouched by any dirt or grime; it was a perfect execution. I bet father would think otherwise, she thought hatefully. The sword in her hand gleamed before disappearing into the same bright purple light. She left the forest, which was peaceful once more.

* * *

 **oh I just love Pacifica! And I'm sorry if you dont play chess to know the pieces! But all you have to know is Dipper lost, rip. Thank you to those who have been following, and to my new followers! And I won't forget my lovely favorite-ers! And my amazing reviewers! YOU'RE ALL SO VERY WONDERFUL! UNTIL NEXT TIME!**


	7. Chapter 7

**HIIII! The basement where Ford's lab is located is not secretly behind the vending machine. It has it's own door! Also, Gideon has been to Gravity Falls before.**

 **Enjoy, my lovelies!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

Mabel returned home later that day, with her throat raw and her hair frizzy. Her brother was waiting for her on the porch with a smile on his face. She asked, "What's got you so happy?"

"I played like ten chess games with Grunkle Ford!" He responded, as they went inside. The twins went pass the customers and to their room as she questioned her brother, "Oh, did you win?"

"Nope, not at all!" Dipper informed her, and she was puzzled by his optimistic attitude. But she shook it off and continued, "Why chess?"

"Well I think I get it now! Grunkle Stan will teach me how to fight and stuff while Grunkle Ford teaches me how to think and tells me his research or whatever. I've got the whole package in two people!" Dipper claimed happily, but then he noticed his sister's current appearance, "Why do you look like you crawled out of a dumpster?"

"Oh, you know me. Going here and there, and made some new friends, too!" She shot him a grin before heading to the shower. The twin brother was glad to know that his sister had company while he would be busy. Even if all of her company wasn't that good…

With nothing better to do, he made his way down to the basement. There were various tubes and beakers filled with different substances, but Ford seemed to be focusing on only a few. Dipper noticed that he had a weird metal mask with ear straps resting atop his head.

After quickly scribbling on the piece of paper next to him, he added a few drops of liquid to another beaker. The substance changed into an entirely new color. The older man took notice of his grandnephew and waved at him to come forth.

"Are you still working on the healing potion, Grunkle Ford?" Dipper asked. Ford nodded and continued his work as the boy watched closely. The scientist mixed the new substance to a boiling pot with another liquid. He soon started adding other ingredients. The brew started to bubble and glow, an obvious result to the new components.

Ford quickly pulled down the metal mask in front of his face, anticipating a violent reaction. However, Dipper was still leaning in close to watch what would happen next. The great uncle swiftly slapped his large hand over his grandnephew's eyes and most of his face. Suddenly, there was a resounding boom and a blast of light. The customers above looked concerned for a moment but then dismissed it. Mabel barely noticed it while Stan was already used to the explosions.

There was a foul smell in the lab and an instance of smoke, making Dipper cough. But Ford only paid attention to the pot. He gently handled long metal tongs with a vial at the end to scoop up some of the hot fluids. Raising it up so they could both see, the substance materialized into a crimson red liquid.

"Here we go again," Ford stated as he grabbed hold of the vial. Once again, he carefully released one or two drops on another wilted flower he had prepared. The two males watched as the plant sprung to life, glowing healthily. The petals looked pure and the stem had a normal, fresh green. The healing potion was a success!

"I've done it!" Ford exclaimed triumphantly. Dipper was in disbelief of the sight he just witnessed. His great uncle had just concocted a potion that could save millions of lives!

"I'll have to get a patent, have my experiment showcased and tested more, meet up with Bud to distribute all of the potions throughout the Soul Fighters academies and then this will be a rousing success!"

Ford ran up to his room to start filling out his application for his patent, while Dipper went to tell Grunkle Stan and Mabel of the good news. Stanley kicked the complaining customers out to start celebrating the red liquid creation. They'd get a lot of money from the invention anyways, the con man thought.

* * *

Bill flitted his gloved fingers over his burn wound. It seemed to have healed quite a lot, but it still bit at his flesh painfully. He wished to get rid of this annoying demonic burn already. The dream-demon was busily healing himself until suddenly he felt the presence of another soul in the area. It didn't feel like Shooting Star's or Pine Tree's.

Gideon Gleeful stepped out from behind the roasted trees and tentatively walked towards him. Bill smirked with an air of confidence, "Well, well, well, what owes me the great pleasure of having you come to me, Gideon?"

The lifeless surroundings only added to the creepiness factor as the one-eyed blonde sat beneath the only green tree. He was looking up at him mockingly from under his black top hat, as if he already knew why Gideon was there. But the child star refused to be ridiculed and demanded, "I want to make a deal. Fix my amulet and I'll give you something in return."

"Oh, what makes you so sure I'll be able to fix your dumb amulet? How about I fix your face instead?" Bill taunted. Gideon felt his face flush as he yelled, "Don't play games with me, Cipher! You and I both know that my amulet is run on demonic power!"

The dream-demon gasped dramatically and floated up in surprise, his coat tails flowing behind him. He snapped his fingers in fake defeat, causing the already burnt area to be engulfed in flames once more. Bill sneered, "You don't say?"

Gideon jumped back as he could feel the heat lick his skin. He moved around to avoid being harmed by the fire. As the Gleeful kid was doing so, the blonde was grinning crazily. But mentally he wondered, how did his amulet crack? Could it have been Shooting Star's doing?

Suddenly, he felt his side hurting him immensely again. An idea dinged in his head, and he agreed to it quickly. He didn't like the kid that much anyways.

"How about this, kid. If I fix your amulet, then you can take something off my hands for me!" Bill offered. Gideon pursed his lips as he regarded the proposal. He was wondering exactly what he was going to receive. But the dream-demon interrupted his critical thinking, "Time's a wastin', short stack. I can feel the power in your amulet decreasing."

For a final effect, he leaned closer to Gideon and said, "And you and I both know that once your amulet runs out, it's dead for good."

The child star thrusted his hand forward and shook Bill's awaiting one. Blue and yellow flames covered their hands until they let go. The deal was sealed. Gideon realized the area was no longer on fire. However, the trees were all finally burnt down to ash.

"What are you waiting for? Show me the amulet," Bill told him and Gideon complied. The dream-demon lit his hand with the same flames and hovered it over the crack. The floating blonde tried not to wince as the amulet hungrily absorbed his power. It took just enough, and the glass shone cleanly. It gave the impression of it being as good as new.

"Now, for your part of the deal, it will come later."

Bill rested back on the ground with a deranged smile. Gideon didn't bother checking his amulet and hastily fled. That entire exchange just gave him goosebumps all over, and the bad part was that it wasn't actually over yet.

No matter, the child celebrity thought, my plan can commence now that my amulet is working! He giggled childishly to himself as he continued down his path, ignorant of another obstacle he'd have to face soon.

* * *

Earlier that day, a class was assigned to clear an area of monsters that had slipped in from one of the openings.

Wendy peered cautiously from behind the trunk of the tree. Her classmates were also well hidden within the forest, but they all surrounded the same thing. There were two hideous beings, both as large as an elephant. They glanced around curiously, but it seemed one of them was actually focusing on something.

Suddenly, it shot out its tongue and it wrapped around what she recognized as her friend, Lee. He gave a cry of fear as their teacher commanded, "Go!"

With a reddish-orange light, a worn out axe was summoned on her hand. The Corduroy aimed it quickly and hurled it at the tongue, slicing it off. The monsters then focused their attention at her, and the tongue regenerated in no time.

She dodged skillfully from the claws that the creature swung at her, and made sure not to get hit by the sticky tongue of the other. She slid underneath the legs of one of the monsters as it tried to grab her. While on a tree branch, Tambry shot a few arrows with her bow as their back was turned to her. Nate quickly ran in and used his rugged dagger to cut off one of its legs. The black blood sprayed out of the open wound.

Her classmates charged in a few at a time, making sure to either inflict damage or to distract the beings of darkness. The teacher was ordered to stay back and give orders through their communication crystals unless something terrible happened. Like now, where Thompson had not been quick enough and clawed marks were now apparent on his arm.

The monster would've finished the teenager off if not for the soul weapon that tore its head clean off. It vanished in the inky blackness and there was only one left. The redhead twirled her axe in her hand as she waited for an opportunity to strike.

While the wicked creature was being distracted by the different attacks of her classmates, Wendy jumped up from behind it and swung her axe down with all her might.

It went right through the middle, and exploded the being into a sprinkling mess of black blood and inky darkness. Everyone groaned in disgust as they were hit by it, but their attention quickly changed to Thompson. He insisted that he was okay even though he was clutching his arm as it bled heavily. There were also several other of her classmates that had injuries that emitted blood. The teacher commanded for everyone to rush back to the academy.

"Remember, clean and disinfect first, then patch it up nicely." The head nurse instructed to the nurses-in-training. Candy understood and did as she was told. She tended to the injured teenagers that would arrive everyday.

"Good job, Chiu." Her mentor praised as she evaluated her work. Candy accepted it gratefully and soon they were dismissed for lunch. She met up with Grenda in the hallway who appeared to have a few scratches on her skin. But it was nothing compared to the other students that walked out of the same class with more serious inflictions.

Pacifica leaned against the wall in the cafeteria as her students ate, looking over all of them. The teenagers had bandages, some of the preteens had band-aids, and the youngest ones were eating happily. While in her evaluation, a younger student had ran past her and accidentally tripped on her boots. The boy rubbed his chin as he sat on the ground and she looked over to see what he had been running from.

Bigger and more muscular boys made their way to the fallen boy and clutched his collar before he could run. Pacifica felt a tick on her forehead at being ignored, but was more annoyed at the fact bullying happened in her school. The entire cafeteria quieted down and observed as she tapped her white gloved fingers on the haughty male that carried the weaker kid. It took them a few seconds to recognize her as the headmistress.

They dropped him back onto the floor and yelled out unorganized forms of apologies before running away. The scrawny student also looked up at her fearfully as she stared him down sternly. He ran away even though she didn't do anything, and the cafeteria resumed to its lively atmosphere. With a light shake of her head, she exited the cafeteria.

"You know, I wonder sometimes if she is as cold as she seems," Candy told Grenda as they ate their lunch. She agreed with the asian girl but said in her gruff voice, "Well she probably is. She could easily take down professionals that are half her size, why would she be nice to us?"

They both shrugged to drop the topic. They didn't even know half of it.

* * *

The crescent moon was shining through the window of his room. Gideon rested peacefully in his sleep as he dreamed of domination and Mabel. Unbeknownst to him, a shadow crept over his sleeping form.

Two black-colored gloved hands reached out to the child celebrity. But it stopped right above him, and soon the shadow was engulfed in blue and yellow flames. It revealed Bill Cipher to be in the room, and his face was focused on his hands. Gradually, the flames moved from his body to the sleeping Gleeful kid's. Yet, he didn't wake up, or even stir in his sleep.

Eventually, the flames swallowed Gideon's body, before disappearing abruptly. The dream-demon grinned sinisterly at his deed. He moved freely throughout the room, as if he was taunting the sleeping boy. He wouldn't know what hit him!

With a snap, Bill was gone from the room. But Gideon woke up with a painful screech. He frantically pulled up his nightshirt and saw a burn wound on his side. His flesh was red and throbbing with pain. Gideon felt himself erupt with anger as he yelled into the night. A maniacal laugh followed.

"CIPHER!"

* * *

 **YEA STANFORD GO GET THAT PATENT! And Bill can only transfer his injuries onto another person with their consent, such as a deal! Gideon you fool!**

 **Did anyone else see what Alex Hirsch dressed up as for halloween? What a troll.**

 **Thanks for reading, until next time!**


	8. Chapter 8

**And the numbers keep increasing ;-; thank you all! This chapter may be a bit more on the sad side though. You can interpret it however you'd like.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

Mabel went around the green tree several times, and even climbed up its thick branches.

"Bill?" She called while hanging upside down on the branch, but received no answer. She already searched through the decimated area more than once. Although, there wasn't much place to hide other than the lone tree in the center.

"Come on, Bill! I know you're here somewhere!" She called again.

The young girl frowned at his disappearance, she was sure that he'd still be too hurt to move away. She had already accepted that the one-eyed blonde grew on her rather quickly. There was a sinking feeling in her chest as she noticed he hadn't even said goodbye. Waddles oinked at her and she jumped down to scratch his chin.

"I don't know where he is either, Waddles." She told him sadly. She realized that he wouldn't be popping up out of anywhere to scare her as a big joke, or appear from thin air to tease her about missing him. With a final scan around the area, she left with her head down.

As she dragged her feet along the forest, she failed to notice that she was going somewhere new. Her pet pig oinked at her and tugged at her socks frantically, but she didn't bother to stop for him. Suddenly, Mabel tripped on her feet and tumbled down a grassy hillside. She let out small noises of pain and discomfort as she rolled down. Finally, the brunette landed on her back, and stared up at the cloudy sky.

She laid there for a moment, before sitting up to look around. Her sense of urgency kicked in when she didn't recognize her surroundings. The trees weren't pine, and there were a variety of mushrooms sprouting from the ground. The entire area seemed a bit too sparkly...

The female brunette saw a pair of curious eyes peer from the shadows of the trees. Soon, it became two, then four, then more than she could count. Mabel could hear them arguing quietly. She braced herself as she saw many short arms push a single figure out into the light. Yet, it was a very small man with a grey beard and a pointy red hat, with two teeth to show. It reminded her of something, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

He went over to her and tilted his head curiously. She couldn't help but coo at his cuteness. Reaching out to shake his tinier hand, the small man stared at her hand until it was close enough. He abruptly opened his mouth and bit down on the side of her palm.

Pain bloomed throughout her hand as she yelped in surprise. Mabel flung her arm up and down hysterically while yelling, "Let go!"

She randomly ran around, smashing the little male on the different objects of the forest. The other pairs of eyes were darting back and forth as his bite was relentless. Fortunately for her, he let go after using her other hand to rip him off. The female winced at the bite mark with visible small dots of blood.

"Shmebulock!" The little creature yelled before scampering back inside the bushes.

As she examined and gently held her hurt hand, more small males came out from hiding. There was one that stood out in front, who was clapping profusely. "Come on guys, let's give her a hand!"

Mabel stared at them in confusion as they applauded, her hand momentarily forgotten. She finally realized, was she looking at… gnomes? "Lemme tell you, you're one heck of a riot! And a very pretty one at that. The name's Jeff, toots, but you can call me your husband."

He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, but another gnome asked, "Isn't she the queen for all of us?"

"Ugh, Steve, no one asked." Jeff groaned. Yet, Steve only furrowed his eyebrows. "But I asked."

"Then let me rephrase that, no one cares."

Another voice piped up, "I actually kind of care."

"Yeah, me too!"

"Same here."

"Look! Can you all back up a bit? I was trying to put on my sweet moves, but thanks to you she's running away!" There was a brief pause, then, "HEY! Our queen's running away!"

As Mabel fled as quick as she could while they were distracted, a series of thoughts ran through her head. She had just met actual live gnomes, and they wanted her to be their queen! Why must it be today out of all days? And where was Waddles?! She ignored the tinier notion that Bill and Jeff's voices were oddly alike, and kept running.

"You will be our queen!" Jeff's voice boomed and suddenly it was harder to run when her feet kept bouncing off the ground. She looked back and nearly screamed at the giant gnome cluster that chased after her.

"MABEL!" The female brunette turned her head to the source of her brother's voice. He had Ford's journal in his hand, the same one that was given to him on their first day coming here. Waddles was in front of him as he skimmed through the pages.

"Aha!" He pointed his finger down at the page where it had information about the gnomes.

"You better think of something quick, bro-bro! I don't wanna find out how to pay for insurance when you're married to gnomes!" Ignoring her strange quip, he quickly read the weaknesses section of the page. His eyes widened when he found none. Suddenly, his sister was pulling him along as Waddles hurried beside them. They all ended up running with fear for their lives.

"There's the shack!" Mabel yelled. But just as they got close enough, Dipper was caught by his foot. The cluster held him up high as his twin yelled, "Give him back, you buttface!"

"Stop fighting it, girly. You're our queen now! Unless, you don't want this guy back." Her brother was waved tauntingly above her and he tried not to be nauseated. Mabel squeezed her lips together but then released a sigh, "Alright, Jeff. You win. Let him go and I'll come with you."

Dipper was in disbelief of what she was saying, how could she let herself go so easily? He was roughly dropped to the ground as his sister ran over to check him. Just as he was about to argue with his sibling, he saw her give a subtle wink.

"Now, hop on! This is a one way ticket to gnome kingdom, and with no guaranteed return!" A hand dropped down for her to climb on, but she said, "First, let me go get my wedding gift for you! But it's only for you, so come down here!"

Jeff smiled with appreciation, "A wedding gift? Aw, you shouldn't have!"

Mabel skipped away to get her 'gift' as Jeff waited on the ground patiently. Dipper awkwardly coughed into his fist as he sat next to the giant gnome cluster. Suddenly, his sister bursted out the door with a machine in her hand. It had flips and switches with a long tube at the front.

"Look! Isn't this neat? Has a lot of, um, complicated parts to it!" She said with too much exaggeration, and Dipper slapped a hand to his face.

"Ooh, I like complicated parts!" Jeff replied flirtily and came closer to the device she was holding. Before he could react, she flipped a switch and he was sucked into the tube.

"HA! Be eaten by my leaf blower, Jeff!" She exclaimed, and Dipper quickly ran to her side as she pointed it threateningly at the cluster. The commander gnome couldn't speak since he was constricted by the tube, leaving the giant gnome formation confused as to what to do.

"Would you like to do the honors?" Mabel gestured to her brother. He smiled evilly, "With pleasure."

With another flick of a switch, Jeff was fired across the land and out of sight. Without a leader, the gnomes scattered around back into the forest. The twins laughed and high fived each other at their success.

"That was awesome, Mabel! We'll have to tell the Grunkles about that one!"

She nodded excitedly and they raced back inside. Her brother was continuously asking her questions until one stopped their joyful conversing, "How did you get there in the first place?"

"Oh, I went there on accident. I was walking around while not paying attention because I was all sad and stuff! And I was sad because…"

Her voice trailed off there. She had her head down again as she remembered her reason why. Dipper waited for her to go on but started to worry when she couldn't finish her sentence.

"Because…"

"Hey, it's okay." He put a hand to her shoulder reassuringly, "We can tell each other anything, remember?"

The female brunette looked up, and her brother was surprised to see tears brimming in her eyes. "Bill hadn't even said goodbye…"

She wiped her eyes with her sleeve as the male rubbed a comforting hand on her back, figuring out what happened. He didn't know exactly what to say. There was a part of him that actually felt pretty okay with the dream-demon. Another part of him predicted that the dream-demon would end up hurting his sister, but not like this. Then there was that other part that was itching to walk out and find the blonde so he could rip him apart limb from limb.

"But," She spoke again, "I'll be waiting for him to return. He'll have to someday!"

She looked happier now, as if that single thought of him coming back would be true. And maybe it would, Dipper thought to himself. He just smiled at her and said, "I'm sure he will."

* * *

Bill sighed contently to himself as he floated throughout the dreary dimension. He was finally freed from that wretched pain on his side! He did flips and turns to stretch out his young body. But then, he had stumbled upon the murmuring of grumbled and distorted noises.

To any other creature, the talking between monsters and demons would sound like a garbled mess. But Bill understood it perfectly. He barged in theatrically and said, "Hey! It's good to see you guys again!"

The three monsters and single demon made sounds of annoyance. Bill Cipher was ready to come back to their dimension once more.

"I know you missed me! Admit it, you missed me!"

The blonde poked the fleshy fat of one of the monsters. But his arm was abruptly grabbed and he was hoisted in front of the demon's face.

"What games are you playing here, boy? You shouldn't even been able to move with the burn I did on you!"

The blonde wiped the spit that flew on his face with disgust. Bill gave him a cheshire grin before pulling his arm out of the hold. "Oh, I made a bit of a deal and got myself out of that problem."

The dream-demon made the impression of examining his nails even though he was wearing black gloves. One of the monsters asked, "Why would anyone make a deal with you?"

"I have my ways," The blonde winked, but to them it seemed like a forced blink. He kept repeating the same action as the others stared at him in confusion.

"What are you doing?" Another one asked.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Bad response.

"Well, it's more like you're trying to get something out of your eye."

"Or you're waiting for someone to laugh at a really bad joke."

"He probably is."

Bill had enough of this, "I was winking! It was a wink, you fools!"

No one seemed to care. He rolled his eye and made a turn to leave before things became violent. But he was grabbed by his collar and the other demon grinned, "Whoa there, we have to make up for all the pain you were supposed to feel, right boys?"

There was cheering and whooping, while Bill masked his fear with confidence. He laughed and said, "Right, right. Well please, let me begin!"

He punched the demon in the eye, causing a momentary shock. He flew away as fast as he could while they started to chase after him. He glanced behind briefly and saw the outstretched wings that the demon was using.

"Get back here! We were just gonna have some fun! You like fun don't you?!"

Bill found a spot to hide and took it. He heard them surveying the area as they looked for him. He could feel the tension growing in his abdomen as they took their time to look through the area. It was as if they were taunting him about him not being able to escape their clutches.

"What are you doing?" The sounds suddenly stopped and Bill felt his breath hitch. Everyone recognized that chilling voice. There was a new demon that walked in, and the creatures that were searching waved him off dismissively.

"Nothin', nothin' at all! Let's get out of here, guys!" They made a hasty escape and left the newcomer by himself. Bill was sure he would die today when he heard, "Pathetic, Cipher. Just absolutely pathetic."

But then the dream-demon felt the petrifying presence of the other demon vanish. The blonde sighed in relief and scrambled out of his hiding spot. Suddenly, he bumped into a figure behind him as he was climbing out.

The demon went by many titles, but he preferred to go by Adrian. He had a middle and last name that he only used when he walked amongst the humans. Unlike the many other monsters and demons, he still had memories of being human. Perhaps he used his old human name for twisted pleasure.

Another thing was that he could manifest the appearance of a human for a very long time, yet older than what Bill looked like. He had a permanent welcoming smile plastered on his face below his violet eyes, and every action he made was graceful. He wore a black tuxedo with a fedora, and had an aura of cold death.

Being able to draw out his true form, however, meant that death wouldn't even seem as bad.

Bill tried to think of a good remark or greeting but found his words caught in his throat. Adrian only put a hand to his shoulder while keeping up his signature smile. "Still holding your award for worst demon ever, hm?"

Adrian playfully smacked his shoulder and said, "Come on, Cipher. Where's your bloodlust or psychopath ideas? Instead of giving away your wound to the kid, why didn't you replace his eyes with heads that are always screaming?"

Bill forced a chuckle and said, "Duly noted."

"Say, those Pines twins are quite something." Adrian started off smoothly, and the blonde asked, "The Stans? Oh yeah, but mostly annoying and—"

Bill stopped talking when the other demon was waving his hand around and said, "No, not them, I meant the younger pair. Their souls are very… unique, at most. I don't think I expect anymore than a few surprises here and there."

So it seemed he wasn't the only one who noticed Pine Tree and Shooting Star's peculiar souls. Suddenly, Adrian went closer to him and continued, "I hope that the reason you chose not to kill them as soon as you met the two was because their souls were very interesting to you."

Bill could see the light purple strands of hair that stuck out of his fedora. Adrian's eyes were searching his own black ones. "Of course, of course! But it's not as interesting as it seems, so I have no reason to see them anymore!"

Adrian backed off and flashed him his permanent smile, "Good."

With that, he left. Bill felt all of his anxiety wash away. But then realized, he wouldn't be able to see those twin brats anymore without a good reason. His frown grew when he thought about Shooting Star, before slapping himself.

"What do I have to be sad about? Mere mortals can't hold me down!" He shouted to no one in particular, before wandering the Nightmare Realm once again.

* * *

Four months.

It's been four months since Mabel had last seen the dream-demon. She's only heard of him causing a few unfortunate happenings to some of the citizens in Gravity Falls. Yet, not once had she caught a glance of his top hat or his fluttering coat tails.

There was also a news report on Gideon Gleeful. He was said to have a nasty burn on his side that left him immobile. He didn't perform at any shows because he was stuck in his room. Although, the reason why he had the injury was unknown.

Her friends had been busy with the Soul Fighters academy. They had been focusing on keeping up with the steady progression of the other students. Candy and Grenda just finished a stressful final exam for their classes, and decided to rest for today.

Her brother was now very skilled in defensive style, nearly perfect. It was surprising since he had learned so well in such a short time when compared to the average time needed. He had yet to beat their great uncle in a chess game even though there were a few instances he nearly won. But his spirits were high as always, and he still had the same remarkable determination to be a great Soul Fighter.

Their thirteenth birthday started off wonderful and they threw a grand party at the shack. But, at the end of the day, Dipper and Mabel sat by themselves solemnly. Nostalgia ran through their veins while they remembered their old town. They couldn't help but reminisce the cheerful voices of their parents and the gifts that they were given.

Right now, her brother was outside in the cold winter air. Somewhere deep in the forest, he was now focusing on summoning his weapon. She rested her head in her arms and looked out the window as she awaited his return. Even with the rolling grey clouds, it was a very special day today.

She was taken aback when a white crystallized drop appeared on the window in front of her. She examined it closely, but more followed after it. Her jaw dropped as she realized, it was snowing!

Unfortunately, her Grunkle Ford was out; he had to showcase his invention to the officials. It had put her in a dejected mood, but this new sight had lit up her face immediately. Grunkle Stan rushed out as he heard his niece squeal joyfully. He sat next to her as they watched a layer of white fluff cover the ground. They both hoped Dipper would return soon to share the day with them.

Speaking of which, the boy was very pleasantly surprised to find himself surrounded by the flurries of snow. There was never snow where he and Mabel were from. Even though he was in awe of the small ice crystals, he shivered as a brief cold front passed through him.

His hat had gained a thin sheet of snow as he walked back towards the shack. But as he was passing by the series of pine trees, he saw someone else standing alone by themself. He snuck closer and saw the back of a purple trenchcoat covered by long blonde hair.

Pacifica turned her head around to look at him, but went back to gazing at something else. Dipper crept closer out of curiosity, and saw a male and female deer. They were looking back at them innocently before prancing away together.

The blonde had the bottom half of her face snuggled in a comfy purple scarf, but the brunette was wearing a loose grey shirt with black short sleeves and black pants. She noticed he was developing a lean build and had several small bruises and scratches. It caused her to wonder to herself. He really was working towards his Soul Fighter goal.

"I still think you should stop." Pacifica suggested, and Dipper frowned. Was she really going to bring this up now? She continued, "Don't try to play the hero, standing back and believing in the others can be just as good."

"No, it isn't. I'm not going to stand back and watch other people fight for me when I could be doing it myself." He replied firmly. They refused to look at each other as they spoke in the falling snow. "I know if I work really hard, I can be a great Soul Fighter, Pacifica. Not everyone can be born with an aptitude for it."

"You'll just end up dying, your family will be sad, and your sister will be crushed." She told him brutally, and the male felt himself growing angrier, "Do you want to put that kind of burden on them?"

He replied harshly, and couldn't stop himself from adding offensive remarks to his original response, "I won't die. Why can't you just accept the fact that I am doing this? Is it because I decided not to go to your stupid academy? Or is it because I won't quiver in fear every time your name is even mentioned? You don't even care about the kind of impression you leave on people, or even your own students! How arrogant and selfish can you be? Honestly, you're the worst!"

His final words were finished loudly, and heavy silence came after. They stood still watching as the area became covered in snowflakes. He couldn't muster up the guts to escape and stayed freezing next to her. The brunette could see their breathing come out in small white wispy clouds.

The tension was long enough for Dipper to start regretting his outrage. Perhaps I took it too far, he thought guiltily. How could he be so mean on a day like this? His mouth was dry along with the rest of his body. Gulping nervously, he croaked out, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" The headmistress responded softly, "You have all the right to be mad at me."

She couldn't be a public supporter of his resolve. Even though she was expecting him to achieve extraordinary feats, there was still a high chance for him to fail. Not everyone can just learn on their own with their relatives, they needed schooling. Yet, Dipper was a special case. She looked forward to fighting alongside him one day.

There was another moment of pregnant silence before he asked, "Why are you out here by yourself?"

"I'm avoiding my parents," She bluntly stated. Despite the fact he didn't really understand her situation, he nodded sympathetically. "I always think that they are terrible people, but I guess I'm just as bad."

Pacifica turned to face him and Dipper saw the sorrow hidden behind her blonde bangs. "You're lucky to have a family like them, Dipper. You should go spend time with them while you can."

She unwrapped the scarf around her neck and handed it to the shivering boy. He took it warily with a questioning look on his face. She shrugged and said, "You wouldn't want to go home with hypothermia. That would ruin the whole point of spending time with your family."

He carefully wrapped the purple scarf around his neck and was instantly comforted with the leftover warmth. It smelled of vanilla and lavender. He stifled a blissful smile to not seem creepy.

"Merry Christmas." She let out a small, melancholic smile. He flashed the same one back at her, "Merry Christmas."

They parted ways with a newfound respect between them, even if it was just a seed.

* * *

Out of all the holidays to ever exist, he'd hate Christmas the most.

Gideon laid against a big fluffy pillow and was under thick, soft blanket. His amulet was off of his body and in the drawer on his bedside. On top of the beside was hot chocolate that was placed for him to drink.

"As if I could reach it," The child grumbled to himself. The burn had healed quite a lot, but the pain was still excruciating. Everyday since the deal he made with the dream-demon, it was applied with creams and ointments. He had to take a lot of pain killers to numb only some of the full effect. To his surprise, there was a knocking at his door.

"Come in."

His eyes widened before narrowing so much it seemed as though his eyes were closed.

"Get out."

Bud Gleeful stood at the doorway. He nearly did as his son ordered, but decided to push forth. Gideon hissed at him in his southern drawl, "What d'you think you're doin' here?"

His father stopped as the side of his bed and kneeled down. "I just wanted to greet ma' son "Merry Christmas" today."

"D'you think there's anythin' merry about today? I'm stuck in this stupid bed when I could've been commencing with important things!" Bud let his son yell at his face, while giving him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry this happened ta' you, son. But how?"

"Does it really matter? And don't call me that! I ain't your son! Just get outta here already!" Gideon screamed as he pointed to the door with little strength. Bud swallowed any other things he wanted to say. He pulled his fancy white hat off his head and put it to his chest. After bowing, he left without any words.

If he could, the child would have been throwing a fit. But he was stuck in his bed with the pain biting his flesh. There were a lot of things he hated about this world, like Stanford and Soul Fighters. But his father would be at the top.

* * *

 **Ah yes, time skip! Well not by a whoooole lot but yea. Dipper doesn't know what soul weapon he has or how to summon it. Also, Pacifica doesn't hate Dipper, she just kind of needs to hate what hes doing. And let's just say Gideon will need more time before he can move. Poor Bud.**

 **New villain introduced, can you guess who it is?**

 **Until next time!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I just saw a really funny post that I seriously believed regarded my fanfiction. I tried not to laugh too hard.**

 **I just gotta say it again, man. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR FOLLOWING AND FAVORITING AND REVIEWING JUST GAAAAAAA—**

 **If there is ever any instances of major OCs, i'll say! Like Draven is not part of the show in any way or form! I originally thought of making it one of the monsters from Weirdmaggedon part 1 but the last chapter is already posted and eeeeeeh.**

 **Also, I highly enjoy a lovely sibling relationship. But not incest.**

 **ANYWAYS, on with the show!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

New year meant for new things. Perhaps things would be different. Although, some changes weren't always for the best.

Gideon flipped the amulet in his hand worriedly, the light was dangerously dim. Going for so long without a large collection of soul essence put a big impact on the amulet's power. He was still in too much pain to perform, but he didn't want his amulet to die.

The child celebrity refused to look for Bill's help, so he went to another. He sat up as much as he could on the comfy bed and put his amulet in front of him. Gideon bit his thumb hard enough to draw blood, and created the summoning circle. Chanting out the latin words clearly and loudly, his eyes began to glow before the world around him suddenly turned monochromatic and still.

"Well if it ain't Lil' Gideon!" The demon greeted gruffly. Said boy grinned at the sight of the ugly creature that was flying above him with torn up wings. "I need your help, Draven."

"Of course you do," Draven landed on his feet. He leaned closer to the amulet and tapped on it, yet it still stayed faint. "Why don't you get up from your powdered butt and get some soul power for this baby?"

"Well, I can't." Gideon pulled up his shirt and showed the demon his burn wound. Draven's eyes widened in recognition. He inquired, "Kid, where'd you get that burn?"

Gideon told him the story, "There was a crack in ma' amulet and I just decided ta' go ta' Cipher for a deal. But later that night, I ended up with this on ma' side."

"So that's how he got rid of it so fast." Draven rolled his eyes as Gideon looked at him in confusion. The demon explained, "I gave him that wonderful burn just because I hate his guts. But out of anyone he'd make a deal with, I didn't think it'd be you."

Gideon felt himself getting red from embarrassment, "Well, is there any way ta' get rid of it? I don't want ma' amulet ta' die!"

The demon saw the desperate look in his eyes. It was the same one from the first time he met the child. The boy was young and dressed all in black for his mother's funeral, but his entire being was filled with hate. The demon didn't recall how the boy figured out how to summon him, but remembered his screaming, "The one person in this world that cared about me is dead! I'm tired of being ignored! Give me power that'll make 'em love me!"

So he was presented with the amulet, in exchange for his ability to summon his soul weapon. His words were, "That's all I need ta' give? Have ma' stupid weapon, for all I care! Ain't done nothin' good for me anyways!"

Draven produced a sinister grin and said, "Listen, boy. That burn can't be healed with any kind of magic I can give. But you could do it yourself."

Gideon quirked an eyebrow, "What d'you mean?"

The demon held the amulet up to him, and the child could see his reflection against the glass, "The soul essence that you gather in here is tainted to darkness, which powers it and gives the strong protection it needs to not break. If you shatter the amulet now, the darkness will search for some soul essence to feed on. Since you'll be the closest at the time, it will go to you."

Gideon was still perplexed about what Draven was instructing, "And then what?"

It didn't seem possible, but the demon's grin stretched farther. "You'll get its powers!"

The young celebrity refrained from gasping. He could get all the abilities of the amulet without worrying if it breaks or not! He'd be the container of his own power. Gideon saw his vision switch to the dimming light in the glass. He had to make his choice before it was too late.

The amulet was snatched from Draven's hand, "I'll do it."

"Excellent, my boy!" The demon prepared to disappear, but first said, "It may feel a little tingly at first, but don't worry! You're gonna love it!"

The world was back to its variety of colors. The clock on the wall was ticking again, and the snowfall outside was still apparent. Gideon gulped and struggled out of bed. He felt tears prick his eyes as an agonizing pain shot through him. Once he reached the floor, he laid there to rest his strength. Closing his eyes, he saw distant memories.

" _Mama?" The small child tugged the dress of an elderly woman. She kneeled down and asked, "Yes?"_

" _When is papa gonna get home?" He questioned. She smiled lovingly at him and patted his poofy blonde hair. "Soon, Gideon. Papa is just working."_

 _He grumbled and crossed his arms. Pouting, he complained, "But he's always working! Sometimes I wonder if he even loves us, or knows we exist!"_

 _His mother clicked her tongue and shook her head. She brought her small son into a hug and whispered in his ear, "Of course he does, pumpkin. Just because you don't seem him, doesn't mean he's not there."_

 _She poked his button nose and they giggled. She said, "Your papa will always be there to protect us."_

Their laughter faded, and Gideon opened his eyes to look at the amulet in his hand. He wondered to himself, could this really make everything better? Would he be able to do as he pleased? Have everyone fear his ability to dominate? Make them beg for mercy?

"I never took you for a liar, mama…" He mumbled to himself, before slamming the amulet down beside him. The pieces of glass went flying in all directions, and he felt some of it embed into his hand. He watched as something that resembled a pitch-black wisp fly around the leftovers of the amulet. Suddenly, it flew right at him.

Gideon felt as though he was choking, like there was an item lodged in his throat. Then it moved to his chest. A weird swirling feeling was happening near his heart as he wheezed and sputtered. Without a moment of hesitation, his entire being felt as if it was on fire. Heat raged throughout his body and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

That's how one of his guards found him, seemingly having a seizure out of his bed. He ran to the child's side and tried to slap him out of it, but to no avail. Just as he was nearly out of the room to call for help, the door slammed shut. Frightened, he turned around, and saw his boss was on his feet.

"S-Sir, are you alright?!" The guard backed away warily, but Gideon clapped his hands together, "Oh, I'm more than alright! I feel **amazing!** "

He let out a maniacal, distorted laugh. The guard fiddled with the doorknob behind him, but it was sealed shut. He gulped when the laughter died down.

"If you wanna leave so badly, then go get ma' next show ready! Make sure ta' tell 'em it's gonna be extra special!" He rubbed his hands together as the guard fled to do fulfill his order.

* * *

In, out. In, out. In, out. In, out. NOW!

Dipper thrusted both arms forward with his palms in front. Nothing happened. The boy groaned and fell back into the snow. He'd been practicing for a week or two already. His patience seemed to wear thin as he kept failing with his attempts. By now, his weapon should have popped out! At least his hands should have made a spark.

But he just laid in the snow, choosing to accept defeat. For now, at least. The boy was only feeling slightly cold. He was well prepared this time, wearing two layers of shirts and pants with a hoodie. He still had the scarf Pacifica had given to him on Christmas.

On that day, his sister had immediately jumped him when he came home. They briefly talked about the wonderful snow before she caught sight of the purple fabric. She tried to pry for answers when all he answered was "Pacifica."

"Come on kid, you gotta feel it!" Stan encouraged him as he sat farther away from his grandnephew. Dipper replied, "How? I'm not feeling anything!"

His great uncle made a face at his words. Then he sighed before patting his thigh, indicating his nephew to sit close to him. Dipper went over and crossed his legs, while Stan started to explain to him, "Listen, Dipper. Do you know how fight really well with your soul weapon?"

"Uh… with practice?"

"Sure," Stanley shrugged, but said, "But how about your soul weapon itself? What if you're amazing at wielding it, but it breaks easily? How do you practice that?"

Dipper pursed his lips in thought. He had heard of a few instances where that had happened. There were students that had soul weapons that could barely hold its form. Although, it was a good question. How does one build up some kind of strength and endurance for a weapon that can't be rebuilt with different kinds of metals to improve it?

"Aw, come on, kid!" Stan anticipated a light bulb to pop from the boy's head, but Dipper just abashedly smiled, not knowing the answer.

"Fine, but I'll only be saying this once." The older man poked his finger in the middle of Dipper's chest.

"A soul weapon will always be as powerful as someone's willpower, determination, inner strength, and all of that jazz. The more you believe you can fight to win, the stronger you'll be."

Dipper's eyes were practically sparkling as he said, "Really?"

"Guaranteed." His great uncle nodded wholeheartedly. The boy nodded back with resolution and distanced himself from Stan once again. He plopped back down in the snow and closed his eyes. With a deep inhale, he was surrounded by void space.

He searched deep, deeper than he's ever tried. It was then that he could see a light far ahead of him. It seemed to radiate light blue, but it brightly called him. He realized, this was it! He focused on moving towards the illuminating orb. He wasn't entirely sure how he was moving, but he could see the light getting closer. He reached out to it, using whatever invisible arms he had to grasp it.

Suddenly, he was falling. He could perceive the sound of wind rushing past his ears and his body was being pulled downwards. The brunette could gradually feel intense heat as he descended. He landed somewhere with a noise of pain and surprise. It didn't take him long to figure out where he was.

"Dipper!" His father ran up to him, along with his mother. He became aware that his sister was now beside him. "We'll put you guys to safety."

Their parents picked them up and hastily scanned the area. They found smashed rubble to hide them under. It didn't seem unstable, so it would have to do. Mabel cried out, "What about you guys?! What's happening?"

"It's okay, honey. We'll be fine." Their father kissed both of their foreheads while their mother quickly brought them into a tight hug. Fire raged behind them as they prepared to leave. Dipper swiftly grabbed his father's hand to say another thing, "I'm sorry I can't help."

His father gave a melancholic smile and ruffled his hat. "I don't think I'd want you to help with this one."

They turned around and leapt through the fire, prepared to fight whatever they faced. Mabel and Dipper heavily felt the apprehension of the situation. How long would they stay there? Would anyone find them after this was all over? Or would they be dead before that happens? They both started to sob quietly, but it echoed throughout the small space.

He could feel the space that cramped his limbs disappear as the sobbing filled his ears. To his surprise, he was being shaken roughly. The fire seemed to blaze brighter as the sobbing grew louder. Yet, he already stopped crying. It kept going on and on, however. Dipper wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to hold himself together. All of these different noises were driving him crazy! And why was he shaking so much?

He forced his eyes to open and found Grunkle Stan in front of him with a worried look on his face.

He surveyed the area and saw pure white, not red and orange. Dipper felt some kind of liquid trailing down his cheek, and wiped it. He was shocked to see tears, and more coming while his heavy breathing came out in white puffs. Grunkle Stan stood him up and said, "Let's take a break."

They returned back to the shack, which had the fireplace lit and the smell of chocolate in the air. Mabel was sipping away at her hot drink as she and Waddles were watching Christmas specials that were still playing. Grunkle Ford was in the kitchen wearing an apron as he cooked dinner.

Dipper sat down in front of Mabel's chair and solemnly accepted a mug of hot chocolate with a, "Thanks."

Stanley went over to the kitchen just as Stanford was putting away his apron. The urgent look on Stan's face was immediately comprehended by his twin.

"Kids, time for dinner!"

The two rushed in and took their seats, but with Dipper slightly sluggish. As they began to dig into their food, Ford said, "Stanley and I have something important to discuss, we'll join you later."

As the older twins went up, Mabel flicked her brother's cheek and he winced.

"Hello? Earth to Dippingsauce?" She called, "Come on, you're flattening my meal with all your tension!"

He let out a small chuckle, but said, "I'm just having trouble summoning my weapon, is all."

She scrutinized him briefly then lightly shook her head. "Is that really it? Don't you wanna talk about it with good ole' Mabel?"

She struck her arms out and wiggled her hands while smiling. He hesitated momentarily before responding, "When I was about to summon my weapon, I kind've relived the memory of our parents… going off to fight."

Well, maybe that wasn't the answer she was expecting, but she pulled a lock of his hair and he whined. Why did some of her affection include hurting people? "Dip-turd, are you still upset about not being able to help back then?"

"Maybe…" He looked over to the side, and she rolled her eyes.

"I still get sad from it sometimes, too." She admitted honestly. "But you can't keep dreading over it. They're… gone, and in the past. So, what'll you do for the future?"

He forgot that his sister was actually very wise sometimes. It must've come from her natural ability to have better judgement than most others. Dipper looked at his sister and smiled, "Make most of the present."

Just then, their grunkles were walking back downstairs. Ford cleared his throat once they sat down at the table. "Dipper, this is for you, but Mabel can stay and listen."

Said girl grinned and raised her thumb to her cheek. Stanley explained to them, "Well, it seems that you've got something holding you back from summoning your weapon."

"Like…?" Dipper asked, and Ford inquired, "What did you see when you tried to summon your weapon?"

The younger boy gulped and looked to his sister for reassurement. She nodded briskly, and he laid out his story for their great uncles. His voice may have cracked once or twice as he explained what happened. Both of the older men were frowning. Their nephew was quite traumatized from the death of their parents. So much, that it seemed to be blocking Dipper's ability to summon his soul weapon. They had to figure out how to relieve the boy from his block.

"How long were you in that state of remembering?" His great uncle asked again, and Dipper replied, "I don't know, but Grunkle Stan shook me out of it."

Ford felt an idea pop up in his head. "I think I know how you can summon your weapon."

After dinner, all of them left the shack to go into the forest. They returned back to the location where Dipper had been practicing. Stan gestured for him to sit, and the three of them backed off to sit elsewhere. The younger male closed his eyes and listened for instructions.

"Okay, Dipper. Try to summon your weapon again." Ford told him, "But this time, we won't shake you out of your memories. You have to accept it."

Their grandnephew's face contorted in panic. He'd have to relive through that again? But then he reopened his eyes to look up to his family. His sister gave him an encouraging smile while his great uncles were waiting for his choice. These people were important to him, they were his family. Now they were expecting him to overcome this tragedy, how could he let them down? He wouldn't let this hold him back any longer.

Dipper inhaled deeply after closing his eyes again. Once more, he felt as though he was surrounded by darkness. Then he saw the bright blue light again in the distance. As he moved towards it, he prepared for the incoming drop. He was still a bit surprised to suddenly start falling.

The same memory from before had replayed. His parents left them to hide, and they were sobbing once more. But Dipper stopped himself quickly, while his sister was crying quietly. Suddenly, a figure appeared in their sights. It crashed into the ground as their mother dropped herself down to attack him. It rose, and the siblings recognized it as one of the sinister creatures.

Their mother went to swing her weapon at the beast. But it dodged at the last second and reappeared behind her in the midst of her action. It launched an inky black tentacle straight at her back and through her chest. Blood spurted from her open wound as it ripped itself out right after. She fell to the ground with a thud. Dipper and Mabel could barely register their father jump in. He looked severely shocked before lunging forward angrily with his weapon.

However, the figure and their father fought only momentarily. The same dark limb grabbed their father's leg, and swung him in an arc. He was slammed against the concrete, instantly forming cracks. While he was down and in pain, the limb struck through his chest without hesitation. It carried him up before throwing him away towards their mother.

Mabel shook her brother's shoulder as hard as she could. They saw the creature was now looking around, searching for more victims. He grabbed her hand and they started to run with all their might. They were heavily breathing as they rushed past the raging flames and screams of the other citizens.

They had to escape somewhere, so they entered the forest. The sound of leaves crunching under their feet was their mantra. Moonlight was their only source of visibility as they went farther and farther away from their small, destroyed city. They held tightly onto each other's hands, making sure not to separate themselves. Dipper didn't know how long they had been moving, but soon they saw a dull light at the end of the forest.

It was blinding when he came close enough, and he covered his face with his grimy arm. Once it seemed to die down, he lowered his arm and recognized the traditional aspects of the setting.

He was at a cemetery.

Dipper saw his sister and others up ahead dressed all in black as they paid their respect to two graves. He walked over from the edge of the forest to stand next to his sister, and read the contents of the graves.

Their parents' names and their lifetimes were inscribed on the tombstones.

He fell to his knees as rain drizzled down, while the other attendants had already left. Without his hat present, Dipper could feel the liquid flowing down his body and soaking him to the bone. He held a brooding stare forwards as damp hair drooped and stuck to his face.

Suddenly, the pelting of the water drops sounded as though it was hitting plastic. Mabel kneeled next to him with her black dress, holding an umbrella above them. Even though he was soaking wet, she placed a hand on his drenched shoulder.

He looked up to see her eyes were glossed over. She gave him a small, consoling smile as a tear trailed down her cheek. He gritted his teeth and inhaled sharply before pulling his sister in for a firm embrace. She kept a tight hold on the umbrella as he weeped into her shoulder. Yet, the female twin tried not to encourage his tears as she held in her own sadness. The sounds of his bawling blended in with the pouring rain.

"I'm so, so sorry," He rasped out shakily, "I should've been able to help, but I couldn't."

He didn't speak after that. Dipper only remembered his eyes squeezed shut as he cried, while his sister enveloped his trembling form. Their parents were dead, and all they had left of them were their gifts. He held onto her as if she was about to die, leaving nothing behind but more memories. The boy couldn't bare that, he'd protect his sister with whatever it takes.

Unexpectedly, he felt her arms disappear as his entire being began to feel lighter. Almost as if he was floating up, higher and higher. He realized he was going towards the bright blue light once again. Stretching out his unseeable hands, he felt his fingers graze the thin strands of the light.

However, it still seemed like there was something holding him down. Mustering up his power, he burst forward and firmly grasped the awaiting orb. It sparkled and glowed in front of him, before flashing his vision.

Dipper fluttered his eyes open, and saw the pleasantly surprised faces of his family. But they were all looking below his face. With curiosity, he looked down as well.

In his hands, there was a midnight blue blade. It looked so dark, it seemed black. The blade was connected to a light blue hilt and handle. The thin blade itself was trimmed with the same light blue. The hilt was simple, but beautiful. It had a fancy pattern of black lining, and seemed easy to hold. Dipper tested it out as he gripped the handle with his left hand and lifted the sword. He admired how it contrasted against the grey sky, and was surprised at how easy it was to lift it. The boy quickly jumped to his feet as his family was still watching, and swung the sword. There was a clear sound of the blade cutting through the air. He smiled as he saw himself in the reflection of his soul weapon, it felt so natural to use.

"Dipper, that looks amazing!" His sister ran up to him and examined the sword excitedly. She made a move to grab it from him but Ford stopped her, "Dear, wait! Soul weapons can only be used by their summoner."

She pouted briskly before returning to her astonished state. Both of the siblings were astounded by the weapon in his hands, and he continued to experimentally swing it around. The boy became more cocky as he held it. He twirled the handle expertly in his hand and even began to alternate between his hands. His sister was awestruck while Ford gave an impressed nod. Stan warned him, "Kid, you just got it. Learn how to use it first before you swing it around like that."

Dipper continued anyways, "Pssh! I got this Grunkle Stan! This feels so—"

The sword flung out of his hands and hurled towards Ford. He ducked just as it went right over his head and stuck itself on the tree behind him with a thunk. Mabel put her hands to her mouth as Stan glared at his nephew.

"Natural…" Dipper apologetically smiled, but Stan just lightly smacked the back of his head. His hat flew off from the impact and Mabel laughed out loud. The sword disappeared with a gleam of blue light, and Ford dusted the snow off of his trenchcoat. They headed back to the shack with their spirits much higher than before.

* * *

 **YAY DIPPER! If you want a clearer outline of Dipper's sword, search up Kirito Elucidator. :P**

 **NO GIDEON! he isn't a demon, but he has dark powers now. Let us hope that our precious ones shall not be harmed! heheheheheheheh**

 **My updates shouldn't be more than a month, at most. Hopefully, I'll be able to post a new chapter at least once a week! It's not that i lose inspiration or i don't get enough support, but i may be busy. Trust me when i say that i have big plans for this AU. And even the smallest reviews or favorites or followers just gives me the :) :) :)**

 **Until next time, pce!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Forgive me if my writing is inadequate to your tastes! Once again, if you enjoy this, yay! If you don't, i'm very very sorry! I suppose this fanfic is just not for you. I don't think I have some kind of excuse to come up with so I'll just shrug and say oops.**

 **You'd be surprise how much someone likes something compared to another who doesn't.**

 **Other then that, everytime I bring in a new character or just bring up any character in general in my story, I like to imagine the Super Smash Brawls theme like:**

 **Dipper rises up to the challenge!**

 **Mabel bounds into battle!**

 **Pacifica swings in her sword!**

 **Or, NEW CHALLENGER APPROACHING!**

 **ALSO, I love both of the twins! Dipper is getting a lot of spotlight, but don't worry about Mabel. Expect great things from them!**

 **ANYWAYS, here we go!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

"Wrench."

"Here!"

"Screwdriver."

"Here!"

"Alien adhesive!"

"Here!"

Soos kept handing whatever item that his mentor needed. They were currently building one of the drones for the simulations that the students used. After more tinkering, Fiddleford slid out from under the machine. He had soot covering his face and upper body.

He grabbed a rag from a stool and wiped his face thoroughly. Fiddleford knocked his fist on the metal and grinned. Another batch of drones were ready to be used!

"Wow, sir! A total of 200 drones built in three days." Soos scanned them all and his mentor nodded. "Yes! One day, you'll be able to do this yourself with your own apprentice."

The older man stretched his stiff joints, prepared to begin programming the drones. But suddenly, there was the tinkling sound of his crystal communicator. He walked over to the table and pulled off a glove to answer it.

"McGucket, your presence is needed in the conference room. Urgent."

Pacifica then hung up. Said man hurriedly packed up his things and shouted behind him, "Soos! Can you take over while I'm gone?"

"On it, sir!"

Fiddleford saw the younger man already typing away at the panel before leaving. He was proud, to say the least. Ever since Soos was a little boy, he had a knack for engineering. He didn't regret taking him under his wing.

The sound of his shoes clicking in the hall was continuous and fast-paced. He found the doorway to his destination and opened it. There was no one else in the room. Except for Pacifica, who was standing near their large screen radar, along with his friend Stanford Pines.

They seemed to be discussing something quietly. They took notice of the third person in the room and motioned him to come over. Fiddleford stood in front of the large screens as well and the headmistress began to explain, "On January 6th of this year, there was a sudden tremendous increase of dark energy in this area."

She pointed to the location where there was a red splatter among the yellow and green shades. On the other map, it appeared to be where one of Gravity Falls' richer hotels were located. Pacifica continued, "I checked with the manager, but he claimed there was nothing that had happened. No sprout or rift, no monster or demon had been terrorizing the hotel. However, I did find out a particular name that lived there, which was Gideon Gleeful."

Fiddleford scowled at the child celebrity's name. He always had a bad feeling about the boy, now it seemed that he'll be causing more trouble. He asked, "Where is he now?"

Stanford replied, "He wasn't in the room. But as we were going back to the academy, we found this plastered on the wall."

The scientist showed his colleague a flyer, to which he took out of his hands. Fiddleford read over the contents of it quickly. The most eye-catching was 'Gideon's Special Shows Starts Tomorrow Night!' In big and bold letters.

"According to what I know, he should be too wounded to even move. His medications were just recently bought." Pacifica commented.

"Also, if my theory is right, he should barely have any power in his amulet. Everyone in the show would notice that they're getting strangely but quickly tired." Stanford added.

"We'll have to check it out ourselves, but not all of us should go inside." She told them, and they discussed their plans. Stanford wasn't even allowed inside and Pacifica had too big of a reputation. The two looked to their third person and he sighed, "Alright, I'll go in to evaluate the situation."

"Excellent," Pacifica smiled, "Make sure to be extra cautious, and extra observant. Report to us as soon as anything bad happens, we'll be waiting outside."

She left right after, probably to check on her students. The two older men were left to chat. Fiddleford asked, "So how's life been treating you?"

"Fairly. But I am happy that my grandniece and grandnephew are living with us now. Although, my nephew and his wife died, unfortunately."

"I'm sorry for your loss. How are the kids?"

"Fine, fine. They stick to each other like magnets, though. Dipper is learning how to become a Soul Fighter by Stanley and I. But Mabel is just a happy ray of sunshine."

"Sounds fun," Fiddleford's face fell slightly, "There are times I wish I had a family."

"Oh, don't stress it," Stanford playfully smacked his shoulder, "It can give you more pains in your hips than what you already have."

"I'm not that old," The engineer replied, jokingly offended. "but your hair is turning greyer by the second."

"Mine is nothing! Yours is already white!" They chuckled in the empty room before bidding each other goodbye.

Stanford was walking along the sidewalk as he headed back to the shack. As he was turning the corner, Mabel unexpectedly popped up in front of him.

"Grunkle Ford! How was your meeting?"

"Educational." He looked around and saw she was alone. Arching an eyebrow, he asked, "Where's the company?"

She just kicked a pebble and shrugged, "Dipper and Grunkle Stan and my friends are all busy. Plus, Waddles decided to be lazy today! So I'm just going around town to see what's good!"

Ford felt uncomfortable of her being all alone, since it was Gravity Falls. He wished he could stay around for at least a little bit. However, he had to prepare for the performance tomorrow. Although, he trusted her to be able to handle herself. The older man brought out a spare vial of healing potion and gave it to her. Ruffling her hair, he said, "Be careful, will you? If anything bad happens, we'll come running. Also, since humans are bigger than plants, it'll take more than a few drops for the healing potion to be efficient."

With that, he continued down his path, leaving Mabel to venture solo. She gladly did so after stuffing the vial in her sweater. There were cute teenage boys hanging around, practically begging for her flirting. She chose one out of the many and started her quest.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Mabel!" She smoothly greeted, but the boy just looked at her weirdly. She waited for him to respond, but none came.

"Oh, I see. Do you have a name? Or can I call you mine?"

Her eyebrows were going up and down repeatedly as he was seriously getting freaked out. He started to slowly back away until he bursted out into a sprint. Mabel snapped her fingers in defeat but looked around. There were still some more to try!

"Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?"

"I hope you know CPR because you take my breath away!"

"On a scale of one to America, how free are you tonight?"

No dice. In the end, she was sitting on a bench as other guys now avoided her. The ones she tried to hit on probably told them about her. She glumly looked at some of the young and happy couples that were walking around the park. But then, Mabel caught a familiar figure of yellow and black that was hiding behind a tree. He seemed as if he was prepared to do something, something bad.

Bill Cipher grinned mischievously and rubbed his hands together. This couple wouldn't know what hit them! The guy was about to propose, but the dream-demon planned to insert the wrong name in his mind. Then, the girl would hate the guy's guts. There would be a huge argument, and maybe some violence! It will be hilarious!

Just as the man reached into his pocket for the velvet box, Bill suddenly felt himself fall forwards to the ground roughly. He was exposed to the couple who were stunned to see him.

"GLOMP!" Mabel shouted in his ear, as she was sprawled over him. He hissed at her and tried to push her off, "What the heck are you doing?! Get off! You're going to ruin my fun!"

But it was too late. The couple yelped and ran away in fear. They watched as they disappeared out into the distance. Bill quit struggling and limply laid on the ground with a huff. She sat on his back as he blowed locks of blonde hair out of his face. Before he could stop her, she grabbed his top hat and placed it on her own head.

"Hey!"

She pouted, "Don't "Hey!" me! It's been such a long time since I've seen you, where have you been?"

He rolled his eyes at her concern, "Where would I go? Why do you care anyways?"

She gasped, "Why? Because we're friends!"

He turned his head around to give her a deadpan stare. His fingers itched to burn her face off but it didn't seem all that fun as it should be. She was smiling brightly while throwing out her arms for exaggeration.

"You know, buddies?"

Stare.

"Pals?"

Stare.

"Chums?"

Stare. She scrunched her face in irritation, "Stop with the staring!"

"Then stop with your naivety! We aren't furr-ends." She giggled and he glowered at her. "Now what?"

"That isn't how you say "friends", silly. Come on, say it with me, "friends!" Connect the syllables!"

"It seems you are still deaf, as well as dumb. I pronounced it correctly! Ferr-ainds." She rolled off of him, still wearing the top hat. The brunette crossed her arms with a shake of her head.

"That's even worse! Why's it so hard for you to say it right?"

"I am saying it right!" He fumed defensively, "And it just isn't a word I have much use for, so I don't bother with it."

"What? That's crazy! Of course you need to have use for friends!" She replied incredulously. He furrowed his eyebrows and asked, "Why?"

"Because friends are necessities for life!"

"I'm immortal, Shooting Star. I don't need any of your "frands" to help me live." He grinned haughtily, absolutely sure he pronounced "friends" correctly this time. Mabel clicked her tongue in disappointment, "You don't have to be shy about it, Bill. It's obvious you've never had friends before!"

The dream-demon began to speak, "I've had some before—!"

"So, I'll be your first one!"

She cleared her throat and stuck out her hand for a handshake. "Hi, I'm Mabel Pines!"

He pushed her hand down and snatched his top hat back. Glaring, he spoke scornfully, "And now I'm leaving, bye."

He vanished in a blink of an eye. She just relaxed against the tree trunk and smiled. He must be so happy to have a friend now!

The other couples didn't seem so bad anymore as she hummed softly to herself. But then, she started to rub her arms. It felt like it was getting a bit chilly.

"Why, if it isn't Mabel!" Gideon called out to her, and suddenly her joyful mood went down the drain. The air was ominous and alarm bells were ringing in her head, telling her to run as he strolled over to where she sat. She silently gulped as he set himself down next to her. Mabel could feel him staring at her intensely. Her side went numb with the cold sensation he emitted as the tension kept thickening with every second.

"So, tell me 'bout yourself." He persuaded after a while. In an attempt to not anger him, she lightly chuckled and replied as best as she could, "Oh, I'm thirteen. I have brown hair… brown eyes… a face…"

Well, she may as well be dead now. But he only giggled and snorted, "You're funny, aren't ya'?"

More silence reigned over them. She couldn't handle the pressure of what would happen next, so she thought up of something to ask. She noticed something peculiar with his outfit, and asked, "Oh, uh, don't you usually have your soul weapon?"

He gave her a look of confusion and she clarified, "The amulet."

"Oh! Right, that." He briskly shook his head and looked away from her shyly. "I'm sorry, marshmella'. It's just hard ta' focus when you're by ma' side, but not in a bad way."

Mabel was confident she already knew the answer, but inquired hesitantly anyways, "What do you mean?"

His face went visibly red and he held a hand to his cheek. "Well, what I mean is… I like you! A lot!"

Suddenly, he grabbed her hands in his own small ones. She flinched at how cold it was, and the hazardous vibes it sent through her spine. "Mabel, will you do me the honor of bein' ma' girlfriend?"

She completely froze. Her mind was shutting down as she tried to process what he had just asked. No, no no no! There was no way she would go out with him! While panicking, she tried to rip her hands out of his clutches. But it seemed like there was no way out of his grip.

"And, um, what if I, heh, say… no?" She hesitantly asked. Gideon's face contorted in confusion, "Why would you say no?"

"It's just a question! I'm always full of questions!" She tried to convince him and he seemed to have bought it. But then he began to answer her question, disturbingly slow, "Oh, well, darlin', you're just outright beautiful. And you seem to shine a bright light I've never seen in anyone. I'd love to have you by my side as my queen."

Suddenly, the grip that he had on her hands became tighter. She winced at the hold as he asked, "Now answer my question, why would you say no?"

Mabel gritted her teeth, this little boy was starting to tick her off. She now ignored her logical thinking of keeping calm and started yelling, "I will not be yours! You're just some creepy ten year old who thinks the world revolves around you! Well newsflash, Gideon, it doesn't!"

Her breath hitched in her throat as his expression became black. He shoved her hands away and stood up abruptly. But before he turned to leave, he leaned in close to her face with a sickeningly sweet voice, "You'll be mine, one way or another."

She watched as he walked away, and felt herself releasing a breath she hadn't known she was holding. Mabel put a hand to her heart as she tried to calm it down. She sat against the tree in critical thought. Gideon seemed way more threatening than before. This wasn't a mask to wear or an image to keep up. It was real evil. What had she just done?

She returned home later that day, feeling worn out by the earlier encounter. Her brother was sitting at the dinner table while getting his hand bandaged by Grunkle Stan. Grunkle Ford was writing down some notes as he kept looking at some other picture. They turned to greet her, and she just walked over to them. Mabel sat in a chair and rested her head in her hands, and the three males noticed her lethargic state.

"Mabel, what's up?" Dipper pried.

"Well, today started out good. I found Bill again and now we're officially friends!" She seemed to be happier when she mentioned this. Dipper arched an eyebrow and her Grunkles scoffed.

"What? The dream-demon actually agreed to be friends?" Stan inquired Mabel, who looked to the side and pursed her lips, "Uh, no… but it was an invisible mutual agreement!"

"Okay, so then what's got you down?" Her brother asked, and she put her head in her arms as she began to explain her confrontation with Gideon to her family. "He had this really freaky feeling to him. Like, more than what I felt the first time I was near him. And then he asked me to be his queen!"

"Yikes, he's got it bad," Grunkle Stan was elbowed by his twin as Ford said, "Don't worry, dear. We'll make sure to keep you safe from his clutches."

She smiled as the other two males nodded in accord. She'd always be able to trust her family to protect her.

* * *

The next night, Pacifica waited on the roof of the building where the performance was held. Stanford then appeared, and they both looked down the skylight. From there, they could see Fiddleford sitting in the audience, waiting for Gideon's act to come on.

As they peered over, they could feel the strange sense of a menacing aura. The headmistress squeezed her knee once the announcer came on the stage. They could hear the words clearly, "Now, ladies and gentlemen. Our favorite child star is back, Gideon Gleeful!"

The man walked off stage, and everyone waited for the boy to appear. It was only moments before he was suddenly standing before the audience on the stage. No puff of smoke to cover any trap doors, it was almost as if he appeared out of thin air! They cried and cheered as a welcome back. Fiddleford saw him grin wickedly.

"Hey y'all! It's been too long since I've seen ya'! I bet you're wondering, where's his amulet?" Gideon stripped himself of the baby blue blazer to reveal he didn't have the glass item with him. There were gasps and questions that arose from the crowd. Fiddleford was in disbelief, but quickly reported in his crystal communicator of what he was seeing.

"He doesn't have his amulet?" Pacifica asked incredulously. Stanford's gears in his head were turning as he thought of how he was able to appear on the stage so suddenly. The darker ambience he held, also the way Mabel described him yesterday…

"But no worries, ma' friends! Because everything I do now… is with ma' mind!" He declared mystically, before suddenly raising everyone out of their seats, even Fiddleford. But it was only slightly, he could still graze the leather of his chair. Wild cheering and whooping came from the audience once they came back down. Although, the engineer could feel himself growing steadily tired. He had no amulet, but how was his energy being drained?

"I'm getting more tired as I'm here," McGucket reported. Before the two could respond, they were abruptly pulled from the roof and through the glass. Shards flew and fell on the audience, much to their displeasure. But Pacifica and Stanford were suspended in the air, and he could see an odd dark light surrounding them.

"Well, lookie here! I caught myself the wonderful Northwest," Gideon flew her out above the audience and she wrestled to get out of the grip. "And the famous paranormal investigator!"

He brought back Pacifica and floated the Pines above everyone before returning him back to the stage. The audience's eyes widened as they identified the two and went crazy. They clapped and yelled and waved their hands around in amazement. Stanford grinded his teeth and viciously spoke at the boy while the audience couldn't hear them, "What game are you playing at, Gleeful?"

Said boy rubbed his thumb and index finger together and responded, "Good question. It's called, 'Spin the Idiots!'"

Before the scientist could ask, Pacifica and Ford were thrown around and around as Fiddleford and the others watched. When the boy was done, the audience went insane once more. The two floating in the air held down their nausea. Pacifica started to shout angrily, "I swear, Gleeful! When I get out of this, I will personally rip your stomach through your throat and–!"

Before she could finish, the two were forced behind the curtain, but still immobile. They heard the child continuing on with his show. It seemed to take forever until, "Well, that's all for tonight! Thanks for comin', y'all!"

Pacifica struggled to get her fingers on her crystal communicator. "McGucket, get out of there and report back to the academy. Write down our findings, Ford and I will deal with this."

The engineer gave a response of comprehension before running back to the school. The two waited for what seemed like hours, before they were suddenly thrusted back onto stage. The room was empty, but Gideon was grinning arrogantly as he let them out of his hold.

"Nice seein' you here. What can I do for ya'?"

"Your powers." Pacifica started, "What did you do with your amulet?"

"Oh yes, that is the big question." Gideon walked slowly around, as if he was taunting them to jump him. But the two stayed put, taking extreme caution in case he tried to make the first attack. "How about you figure it out for yourselves?"

Stanford put a hand to his chin thoughtfully, "Your amulet had dark power that used telekinesis… and your soul essence is much more sinister than before… Now, the burn wound is also healed."

"But the amulet is gone." Pacifica and Ford's eyes widened in recognition. Ford said breathlessly, "You… you absorbed its dark power?"

"Are you insane?" The headmistress berated, "That power is going to take over your soul!"

"Well, I'm not the one ta' reject it!" The boy gave them a deranged smile, "It's helped me so much! Healed me, given me power I can use ta' dominate over people. How can I throw away something so amazing?"

"You don't understand what you're getting yourself into, Gideon!" She continued to try and persuade him. But he just ignored her attempts and laughed maniacally. "I think you should worry more about yourself!"

"Pacifica!"

All of a sudden, she was thrown up into the air through the broken skylight. But she barely screamed in surprise. Pacifica somersaulted in the air and focused soul essence on her feet to give her a lighter landing. She was about to jump back in, ready to murder Gideon until she heard, "It's alright! I have this."

Biting her lip, she just chose to stay outside until he came out safely. It was her duty to protect Gravity Falls citizens, afterall.

"Tell me, Stanford. Do you happen to have any family other than your twin?" Said man glared at the boy as he continued to walk around. "Why?"

Gideon shrugged as he listed a few titles, "I don't know, maybe like, a cousin, or a sister."

The child looked up at the older man and smirked, "Or a grandniece and grandnephew?"

Stanford felt rage course through his body as he pointed an angry finger at him, "You stay away from them, you son of a—"

"Aha!" The boy interrupted him before he could finish, "So I was right. That boy and the darlin' Mabel is your family."

He grinned once more and threw his head back, "Oh, this just makes things even more fantastic!"

Suddenly, Gideon was in front of Stanford. But he was levitating right in his wrinkled face. "I'll destroy you and your brother, maybe the nephew too. Then I'll take her as my prize."

The scientist launched a fist at his chubby face. Leaving behind a portentous chuckle, he was gone before it reached him. Ford hastily looked around but he was nowhere in sight.

He slammed the doors behind him as he exited the building and stomped back to the academy. Pacifica was trailing after him, "What happened in there?"

"He's going to try to destroy my family and take Mabel." He briefly stopped to turn and look at her. "But trying is all he'll achieve."

They arrived at the academy in no time. Unlocking the door, she brought him in and they found Fiddleford waiting in the conference room. They started to discuss the new information they obtained.

She frowned as they sat at the table, "So, what we'll we do about his new powers?"

"Well, here's the thing," Stanford began, "Since the dark energy is now part of his soul, he'll have to continuously gain soul essence from people to survive. But at the same time, his power will steadily increase."

Fiddleford added, "But he won't have a limit to how much he collects. The darkness will keep becoming larger and larger until it entirely envelops what is left of his own soul."

"And he'll become a disastrous monster…" Pacifica finished. She tapped her finger against the table and pursed her lips. "This may become too much for us to handle if he keeps getting stronger."

"Shall we report this to his father?" Fiddleford suggested. Stanford hesitated but slowly nodded in agreement. They both looked to the young female and she said, "I suppose I'll tell him in my next meeting, which is in a few days. We'll see if he can do anything."

They had bid each other goodnight before going their separate paths. Ford walked onto the porch of his home and opened the door. Stan was sitting on the chair, watching television.

"Are the kids asleep?"

Stan nodded, and his twin gestured him to come outside with him. With a groan, he turned the TV off and put on a pair of slippers. They sat on the wooden planks of stairs below the starry night sky.

"What do you need, Poindexter?"

"Aside from training Dipper, you also need to prepare for a possible battle." He told his brother straight forwardly. Stan only raised a grey eyebrow in question, "With who?"

"Gideon. He's gotten more powerful now, and he'll keep getting stronger."

Stan scoffed, "The little freak? I'd love to stop him from dominating the world and all, but I kind of have random sores and pains in my old body. You know?"

Ford rolled his eyes, "Of course I know, we both do! But he's going to try to take Mabel and probably kill Dipper if he gets through us."

"Like that'll happen," Stan mocked, but Ford frowned at his laid back attitude to the situation. "I'm being serious Stanley."

"So am I," His twin brother replied, "There's no way I'll go down without a fight, especially if it concerns my family. But there's something about Dipper and Mabel that keeps me unworried."

"What, their souls?" Ford inquired. Stan just shrugged, "Maybe, but you have to believe in them, at least a little bit. You have too many wrinkles as it is."

They both let out gruff chuckles before heading back inside. The Mystery Shack was quiet once more.

* * *

 **Here we are again! I dont have much of a note to leave off of. But anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Bye bye!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry this may have taken a little bit to post. Life does that ;-; and life also decided to injure my fingers.**

 **A few things I'd like to clarify because I try to keep the story clear and connected:**

 **\- Dipper's dream from the second chapter and then his memory from last chapter were different because the dream was supposed to be a kind of scarier variation of his memory. But the memory is the real thing, of course.**

 **-The flashlight given to Mabel on the second chapter is now in Dipper's vest.**

 **To the review who said if Bill and Mabel sang the F.U.N song, it would be hilarious. Yes, yes it would. I actually now regret not at least starting off the song only for Bill to cut her off ;-;**

 **Also, I'd like to give a big thanks and shoutout to the amazing Aqua Burst 07 for keeping up with my story and often giving me positive feedback!**

 **But i love all of you favoriters and followers and reviewers! Even the ones who keep to themselves, i still see you on my story :)))). Please, enjoy this eleventh chapter with me! We've come so faaaaaaar! *cricket***

 **Now, for my lovely lovely people, here we are!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls**

* * *

"Haah!"

Dipper thrusted his sword forward, but Grunkle Stan swiftly dodged and grabbed his arm. Before he could throw his grandnephew somewhere else, the boy reappeared his weapon in his right hand. Stan let go of him to move out of the sword's swing.

Dipper grinned as they both panted, "Being ambidextrous comes in handy."

Stan was not amused as his nephew was giving him a dumb happy look of expectation, "Get it? In handy?"

His great uncle continued to give him a blank look. Laughter came from the side where they sparred. Mabel wiped her eyes with her palm as Dipper smirked at his great uncle. "At least someone gets it."

"I got it kid, it just wasn't funny."

"She thought it was funny."

"She's laughing at how bad it was."

"What?" Dipper frowned and turned to Mabel, "Did you think my joke was bad?"

His twin sister abruptly stopped laughing and went visibly nervous for a quick second. She pursed her lips at the accusation, before suddenly excusing herself to leave. Dipper dropped his head in defeat as Stan now laughed.

"Alright, kid," The older man said after calming down, "Let's do this again. But work on your movement, it's all choppy. Think about it like starting a combo move, flow your actions."

"Got it," Dipper nodded. They got back into their positions on other sides of each other. Moments passed before they launched at each other, albeit Dipper was slower. They fought for a few minutes, using the surrounding nature to help their side.

Stan threw his brass-knuckled punch, but it met Dipper's sword with a loud clang. They jumped back, pushing snow away at their feet. Suddenly, Stan was bounding towards Dipper again. The brunette lifted his sword to block him as fast as he could. But before he could hold his defense firmly, it flung out of his hand from Stan's punch.

There was a resounding chime as Dipper found himself on his back. His sword laid elsewhere while he was pinned, his great uncle's fist in front of his face. Stan sighed, "Well, at least I know what we have to work on now."

Dipper gave him a questioning look as he pushed himself onto his feet. Stan explained, "I'm an old man, Dipper. But I'm faster than you because I'm focusing my soul essence to my legs to boost me. I'll teach you how to do the same."

"It may be a bit difficult to learn, but once you got it, it stays." Stan plopped in the snow and beckoned his grandnephew to stand in front of him.

"Let's get started."

As they were training, Mabel decided to go out into town again, trying to find something to do. It still made her feel a bit dejected her brother couldn't hang out with her as often as he used to anymore. But she had to be optimistic and encourage her twin on.

She ended up near the academy with her absent-minded wandering. Mabel saw a class being sent out into the forest, and another class training. It was then she saw Candy and Grenda chatting outside the academy. They took notice of her as she ran over to them and beamed.

"Oh, Mabel!" Candy greeted, "What are you doing here?"

"I can ask you the same thing!"

"It's our break time, the only break we get this week." Grenda told the brunette sadly. Mabel looked between her two friends and frowned. They had bags under their eyes, and seemed to be slouching in their posture.

"Aw, come on guys! You deserve a longer time off than this." She put her hand to her chin and stuck her tongue out in thought. Mabel held her pose almost statue-like for a few moments, leaving Candy and Grenda to start wondering if she was alright. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. She grabbed them both by their wrists and started to drag them into town. The asian girl began to panic, "Where are you taking us?"

"Somewhere that isn't here!" The brunette answered, "I was thinking karaoke."

"Wait, what?" Grenda stopped Mabel in her tracks, much to the girl's confusion. The auburn haired girl explained, "We'd love to hang out, but we can't just leave like that! School is still going on."

"Yes, the headmistress is very scary when she is mad." Candy added. Both of the students shuddered, but Mabel just waved her hand dismissively, "Scary, schmary. We can be really quick if you want to. But she's got, like, a ton of students to watch over! She'll barely notice you're gone!"

Candy and Grenda looked at each other nervously while Mabel just kept trying to persuade them. "Come ooon, you know you want to!"

They didn't budge. The brunette squished their cheeks, "It'll be fuuun!"

The two held their defiance, but their friend wasn't going to give up yet. The female twin looked away briefly, before whipping out large, teary puppy eyes. She pouted her trembling lips and sparkled her eyes. Candy sighed in defeat. "Alright! Fine, but only for about 30 minutes, because that is when our break is over."

Mabel only squealed happily before continuing to drag them. The school was becoming smaller and smaller behind them. Candy and Grenda still felt apprehensive about their decision. Hopefully, they would be able to return without going over their time limit.

* * *

Pacifica sat in her office, filling out useless paperwork that came from students, parents, and others alike. She wasn't in much of a good mood. Her parents had pissed her off again with their never-ending disappointment. And she was stressing with the topic of Gideon and his new dark powers. As it seemed, one of the only good things that was happening was her students were keeping up well with the sprouts and rifts.

Unexpectedly, there was rapping at her door. Without looking up, she said loudly, "Come in."

A woman walked in and bowed respectfully before saying, "Miss, there has been a report of two missing students. They hadn't returned to class since their break."

"I knew break time was a bad idea…" Pacifica mumbled to herself, before sighing. "I'll go find them and deal with them."

The woman nodded and the headmistress stood up out of her chair. She walked out, passing by series of doors and halls. But it was no trouble for her, she's been through the school hundreds of times. She practically knew it like it was on the back of her hand. Soon, she was out the building.

As she was looking around town, her mind was preoccupied with the new information they had on Gideon from last night. It seemed he couldn't distribute his power hazardly between each person in a crowd, like his audience when it's a full house. However, his telekinesis was dangerous when facing off against a small group of people, especially just a one versus one. But she was used to sending off small groups to certain targets, not one large group at one target. Luckily, if anyone was majorly hurt, they could use Ford's healing potions.

She frowned at her realization, they had yet to give the academies the potions. Right now, she only had a few from Ford himself, but the higher branches were still trying to produce enough for the schools. Perhaps a factory or two would do it. But it meant that it'd be a long while until the potions were being made into a multi production.

Suddenly, her ears caught the sound of music, and two distinct voices. She followed them and found herself in front of a decorative entrance with a neon sign. Pacifica composed herself as she walked into the karaoke building. There were teenagers skipping their regular schools, dancing with probably not age appropriate drinks in their hands. She couldn't see past them, but they didn't take notice of her.

Clearing her throat, she announced, "Hey!"

The ones closest to the headmistress turned their heads, and immediately moved out of the way. Others behind them quickly did the same when they understood what was happening. The music and lights for the karaoke died down as she ended up in front of the stage. Looking up, she saw Candy and Grenda with mics in their hands. They seemed to have their eyes closed as they sang their duet. But they eventually stopped as they noticed the room became quiet. Then, they saw her, and she was not happy.

The two students that had volunteered to perform were frozen on stage, mics in their hand, and their mouths open at mid-song. They were wearing their Soul Fighter Academy uniforms as clear as day, as if they were showing off that they skipped such a strict place. But no, not from her school. It infuriated her how the rest of her students were working hard and doing the best they could, while these two were slacking off. And here she thought these two were worthy of recognition. The blonde's glare hardened.

"I expected better from you two." She spoke coldly, "Come with me, now."

This was it, they were done for. Their funerals better look fabulous. Candy and Grenda gently placed the mics onto the stage and climbed off. While looking down in shame, they followed after their headmistress. But suddenly, a voice cried out, "Wait!"

Mabel had her arm outstretched, as she stood gloriously across from Pacifica. Her friends gasped as the headmistress turned around in slight surprise. The teenagers that backed up to the sides watched the exchange. The path created by them only made the confrontation more dramatic. The blonde rose a brow, "You?"

"Yes, it is I!" Mabel proclaimed hysterically, before slapping a hand over her chest a little too harshly. The loud sound of the impact was heard and some of the bystanders flinched. But the female twin went on, as if unharmed, "Please, I was the one who is responsible for filling their heads with the forbidden deeds! Do not punish them."

She fell to her knees with another loud thump and yelled, "I am in the wrong! Thou give me consequences!"

She dropped her forehead to the ground with yet another thump, and smiled to herself. Surely, this would work! There was a moment of silence, apparently ending her little act. Small claps originated from here and there in the crowd, but the blonde only snorted mockingly, "Are you this childish? Do you think this is some kind of game? Even if you did persuade them, I'll still punish them because they are my students."

She made another turn to leave. Mabel was stunned before jumping to her feet. Her voice was desperate, "Pacifica, wait! It's not their fault!"

Her plea fell upon deaf ears, but her friends looked back at her. Mabel saw the forgiving but sorrowful glint in their eyes. The brunette realized, what she made them do was really serious. They weren't regular girls that could do anything they wanted, they had important responsibilities. There was no way she would let her friends get in trouble because of something she made them do.

"Pacifica!" Mabel tried again, but to no avail. She had to think of something that would make the blonde pay attention to her. The headmistress already had the doors opened. Gulping, she decided on her plan, "Listen here you… you…"

She inhaled deeply before shouting, "You fake blonde good-for-nothing tumor baby!"

There was a single round of gasps that arose from the crowd as the room suddenly became much more intense. The blonde visibly froze up before shutting the doors with a loud bang. Turning on her heel, Pacifica marched up to the brunette. She scrutinized her up and down with her steely glare, before facing her directly. She inwardly smirked as the female twin cowered slightly. "I know you aren't that stupid to insult me legitimately, hun. But do tell, whatever can I do for you since you asked so sweetly?"

"I p-propose," Mabel uttered, "A challenge."

"A challenge? Certainly not one of sparring?"

"N-No! Not fighting. But… a karaoke challenge!" The female twin declared. The blonde's expression remained, "This is just a waste of time."

"Oh?" Mabel mustered up a cocky smirk, which only ended up looking like a dorky awkward smile, "Are you scared to lose? To someone like "me?""

Pacifica could hear the gossiping of the teens already. If her parents caught word that she turned down a challenge from a mere civilian, she wouldn't hear the end of it. The headmistress had to win.

"I enjoy your moxie, but you're gonna wish you didn't have any." The blonde grinned arrogantly, "Challenge accepted. If I win, I'll be taking my students back, and I'll suspend them."

Candy and Grenda looked as though they were electrified. For what seemed like the tenth time, Mabel gulped, "And if I win, you let them off the hook!"

"Deal," The blonde raised her hand and snapped her fingers. Instantly, a mic was thrown into her awaiting grasp. She jabbed it into the brunette's chest, "Take the first shot."

Mabel calmed her nerves as she bounded on stage. This shouldn't be any different from other times she went up here. Try not to think about your friends' lives are on the line because of your selfish reasons. This was fun, she was going to show everyone how fun this can be.

The track started playing, and Mabel shot her head up, her hair flew behind her. "Don't start, unbelieving!"

She rocked the stage with the song. Her movements were erratic and exciting. Her voice wasn't very melodic, but it did have hype. The teenagers applauded and cheered as the girl panted off stage. Pacifica rolled her eyes as her own song began right after.

The blonde's voice wasn't perfect, but it was better. She sang passionately and held her rhythm well. The lights shone on her figure as she walked around, giving them theatrics. At the end, she struck a long, high note. The crowd went even wilder, and Mabel knew this wouldn't be easy.

The challenge went song after song, cheering after cheering. The lights were random and the dancing of the teens took out the tension. Candy and Grenda looked out and saw the night covering the sky. But they were more worried about their friend. Not only would she be embarrassed about losing a challenge she brought onto herself, she'd be suffering from the guilt of getting her friends in trouble.

Suddenly, there was a loud thump. They looked over and saw Mabel sprawled out on the floor. Pacifica was holding a tired but victorious grin. The teenagers gave their loudest cheer of the night.

"Mabel!" They called out as they ran over to her exhausted state. The fallen girl only forced out a chuckle, "Sorry guys."

"Oh no, Mabel. You're voice is so worn out! Try not to talk too much." Mabel nodded as they continued to pamper her with compliments and worried affection. The headmistress watched from the sidelines. But the sound of her rapid heartbeat and the flush on her face made her realize that she actually had fun. She's never had this much fun before. All of the stress and anxiety that was building onto her shoulders suddenly felt numb when she was doing her part of the challenge.

"You three, come with me now. The challenge is over, and I won." Pacifica gestured for them to follow her. They only responded with nods. Grenda helped the brunette onto her feet and they all trailed after the blonde. The party never stopped behind them.

Post lights were lit throughout town, covering the stars. It illuminated Pacifica's back as they strolled behind it. Candy subconsciously squeezed Mabel's hand and Grenda's hold on her shoulder tightened as they were going closer to their destination. The academy was becoming larger and larger in their perspectives.

Finally, they stopped in front of the school. There was no one there, leaving an eerie atmosphere. Pacifica turned around to face their downcasted looks. She began, "Alright, so you skip my school, thinking it would be alright, even though you absolutely know I would never permit it. And you do this when you two especially know that times now are extremely critical for Soul Fighters."

The three friends held in their breathe as Pacifica continued, "Not only that, but you have worked very hard in my academy, along with many others. And I have failed to notice that without proper rest, you cannot proceed with the protocol as efficient as you can."

"Whaaat?" Mabel dragged out as Candy and Grenda were also very surprised and perplexed. The headmistress ran her fingers through her blonde locks and sighed, "Just this once, I'll let you two off with a warning. But if I ever catch you doing something so selfish again, then there will be no exceptions."

"T-Thank you, ma'am!" The two students bowed gratefully and as deep as they could. They bid goodbye to Mabel, who was about to leave. But the headmistress stopped her, "You. I better not see you trying to lure them or any of my other students into bad decisions again."

"Yeah, of c-course!" Mabel stuttered, before inquiring, "But, why did you let us go?"

The headmistress pursed her lips, but it didn't take long for her to answer. "I just realized some things. Plus, I had fun."

Her words were settling into the brunette's mind. Then, the female twin grinned as she playfully punched the blonde's arm. She received a glare but paid no mind, "Wow, I didn't know the great headmistress knew what fun was."

"Just go home already!" Pacifica barked. Mabel jumped in her socks at the sudden command but quickly complied. She was out of sight before the Northwest could blink. Unfortunately, it seemed that one night of fun wasn't going to rid her of the problems at hand.

* * *

 **Pacifica knows what fun is?! Wowie, my sarcasm is so great.**

 **Not much to leave off of, but until next time!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Anyone see the weirdmaggedon 2 trailers? My mabill shipping headcanons are dying because they won't happen ;-;**

 **Please do enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

"Once again, thank y'all for attending this meeting. Have a great day."

The monthly meeting for all the headmasters had concluded. The only headmistress waited at the side for Bud to finish talking to another person. She inhaled deeply, before walking over to him.

"Sir, may I speak to you?" She asked solemnly, "Privately."

"Of course," He delightfully answered. The CEO led her out the room and down a few halls. She didn't recognize any of it, but they would pass by rows of windows with beautiful views. Finally, they arrived at two grand doors. Bud opened them, and gestured her to come in before following after. The doors shut behind them.

"So, what seems ta' be the problem?" He began their discussion as he sat back in his leather chair. The blonde discreetly squirmed in her own chair before saying, "This has to do with your son, Gideon."

There was a sudden shift in the air as Bud straightened himself up, "What about him?"

She inquired, "Do you know about the amulet he uses for his travelling shows?"

"Unfortunately, yes." He answered, "A long time ago, I tried ta' convince him not ta' use it. But he wouldn't listen ta' me. The only question I have now is how could I have let it come ta' this…"

The older man was looking downcast at his desk. She knew this would be painful to hear, but she had to report in this new information. Although, Pacifica wasn't much for subtlety with her words. She decided to give him a moment, before revealing, "He has absorbed its power."

Bud shot his head up with wide eyes. He searched Pacifica's face for any signs of lies, but there was none. He stuttered incredulously, "W-What?"

He knew, they both knew what Gideon would become now. The headmistress could see the absolute despair in the father's face. He slouched back into his chair, while putting a hand to his eyes and giving a heavy sigh. She waited for some kind of response, not wanting to leave abruptly.

"Go," He croaked out after a few moments, "I'll be sure ta' give you ma' reply shortly."

"Thank you, sir," Pacifica hurriedly went out of her chair to leave so he could have some time alone. Before shutting the doors, she told him, "I'm sorry."

She exhaled all the pressure that built up in that room as she leaned against one of the windows. Fixing herself up, the blonde decided to head back to her academy. She was sure that Bud would think of something to help them in their time of need. Even if it was against his own son…

A woman came up to her as she was walking back to her office, "Four classes are out eliminating the trespassing monsters. McGucket and his apprentice finished another batch of drones to be used. No students have been reported skipping."

"Good," Pacifica briskly replied. She went into her office and shut the door behind her.

Meanwhile, Wendy groggily opened her eyes with aching muscles. She wiped her forehead of the sweat and grime that had covered her. Her clothes had some dirt and tears to it as well, but still seemed in wearable condition. She panted heavily as she doubled over. She coughed, and blood spilled out. The red head removed the red liquid from the side of her mouth before looking around. She couldn't hear her classmates fighting, or her teacher shouting orders. There was stray branches and raw wood spikes of the trees that she had broken while being hurled through the forest. That monster had gotten a good grip on her, before flinging her who knows where.

Wendy reached into her pouch to take out her crystal communicator. Dialing a specific pattern, the signature tinkling filled the area. Suddenly, there was, "Corduroy, where are you?! Are you okay?"

Her teacher had asked in a panic. Wendy only chuckled before replying, "I'm fine, miss. I don't really know where I am, though. But don't worry, I'll be sure to return quickly. How long have I been out?"

"Only for about ten minutes. Call again incase of emergency, we'll see you back at school."

The older woman hung up. Wendy blew a raspberry as she stood up and stretched. She dusted some of the dirt off of her, before searching for the tallest tree near her. She grinned in success. Focusing her soul essence to her feet, she bounded up the branches to the very top of the pine tree.

She used her arm and hung herself outwards, her long red hair waved in the wind. Wendy could see the pines acting as a roof, covering much of the ground. But in the far distance, there were small buildings. Then, there was her school, grand as always. She looked around in case of any monsters, but it was hard to see what was hidden in the shadows. She only saw the occasional forest dweller.

Remembering the direction she would take, she hopped off the top and landed on the ground, creating a small cloud of dirt. She began her glorious journey of body-wrenching walking. But Wendy was already trained for this kind of endurance. And she wasn't very fearful of the shadows the forest held. She was a Corduroy!

Suddenly, there was a rapid rustle of the bushes. On instinct, her axe summoned in her hand as she held a defensive stance. She waited for anything to pop out. But it was just moments before a small, white figure sprung out. Wendy was taken aback briefly, before loosening her form. The bunny swiftly hopped past her. She turned her head to watch as it flitted by, disappearing into another bush.

Wendy failed to notice that she was abruptly shaded upon. But once she did, her grip on her weapon tightened, before swinging it behind her. There was a distorted cry, and the student found herself against another one of the monsters she is assigned to kill on a weekly basis. However, it wasn't as large, only being the size of a couch. It had a cut on its body, probably from her graze. This should be easy enough.

Well, that's what she thought, until it unexpectedly fired a short, neon red laser at her. With a small yelp, she dodged out of the way. The tree behind her now had a burnt mark. Wendy grit her teeth at the soreness of her body, but she had to push through. She ran towards the monster with boosted speed, axe in hand. Her swing missed, and she cursed as another red laser was fired at her. She moved out of the way, but there was a thin burn now apparent on her arm.

Wendy didn't have enough strength to face the monster off alone. She had to run back and find help. With a new plan in mind, she started running as fast as she could towards the school. Her attacker was trailing behind, sprinting on all fours. The girl didn't get too far before her leg was suddenly stinging with pain. She rolled to the ground with a slight cry. Her head turned to her injury, it was blistered and glowing red. There was spots of blood covering her flesh.

Wendy hissed at the pain as the monster was creeping towards her. She summoned her axe and held it defensively in front of her. Her breathing was rapid and her eyes were defiant. For the first time in her life, she actually felt fear for her life. She was weakened and injured, facing against a strong blood lusting creature. It would only be seconds before death would bring her in.

Before she could react, the monster was suddenly split in half. Black blood sprayed her before it dissipated into an inky blackness. Wendy swiftly wiped the blood off of her face to see the newcomer. One hand still held her weapon up firmly.

"Wendy!"

There was a boy. It was the same boy who went against her headmistress a few months ago! He was holding a sword in his hand as he looked at her in surprise. There was an older man behind him. She instantly recognized him as Stanford Pines.

"Oh, hey." She sighed in relief. The redhead attempted to get on her feet, but quickly stumbled down. Ford ran over to her while holding a vial, "Drink this, it'll help."

Trusting his judgement, she complied without hesitation. Immediately, she felt the injuries on her body change from pain to a weird tickling sensation. Wendy observed the burn on her arm return to a normal pale color. Soon, she only felt sore here and there, but relatively fine. She chuckled and smiled, "Wow! That's amazing. I'm glad you guys got here before I turned into monster food."

"No problem, Wendy." Dipper replied, almost shyly, "We'll get you back to the academy, too!"

"Thanks, Dopper!" She joked. The student saw the brief crease in his forehead, and she corrected herself, "I mean, Dipper."

"Yes, let's get to it." Ford motioned her to follow them. She stood up without a problem, and started to walk at pace with the two.

"So, what're you two doing out in the woods?" Wendy inquired.

Dipper shrugged as he avoided eye contact, "Oh, just training a little. But not too much."

He cleared his throat and patted his bicep, "Don't wanna get too big…"

She laughed, and he felt a light blush arise to his face. Ford just rolled his eyes at his grandnephew. After she calmed down, she continued, "You really are becoming a Soul Fighter on your own, huh? That's awesome, dude! You'll really show all those jerks."

Dipper gave a small giggle, before informing her, "Well, yeah. But I have my great uncles to help me. And it's not really to show off. I want to be able to fight for my family, and protect them…"

There was a moment of silence as they were walking. Dipper felt sweat bullet down his face. Did he say something wrong? Was it too serious? He ruined the atmosphere of the conversation! He forced another chuckle and waved his hands around, "And stuff like that! But otherwise, it's really fun—"

"Hey," She cut him off of his rant, "I get it. And I think it's really cool. You're a lot more mature than I thought."

"R-Really?" His voice cracked and Ford cringed. Dipper quickly changed his demeanor, "I mean, yeah. Thanks, I get that a lot."

"No, you don't." His grunkle mumbled under his breath. Dipper swiftly slapped the older man's hand, much to the redhead's confusion. But before she could ask, they were already in front of the school. She grinned and waved goodbye to the two. "Thanks again!"

"No problem, Wendy!" He cheekily smiled back, and even formed finger guns to mockingly shoot in her direction. Ford just grabbed his hands and shook his head disapprovingly. Dipper shamefully pulled his hat over his eyes as they began to walk back to the shack.

Once they arrived, Dipper couldn't help but become giddy. His training was done for the day, so he could hang out with his sister! He ran up stairs and opened the door excitedly, "Mabel!"

Their room was empty, except for Waddles who was napping on Mabel's bed. His eyebrows furrowed as he stood at the doorway. He examined the room for any oddly misplaced objects. But it all seemed normal.

"Mabel?"

Just as he was about to step forward, his sister suddenly hung upside down in front of his face.

"SURPRISE!"

He let out a startled yelp as he started staggering backwards. His foot stepped on air, and he was abruptly tumbling down the stairs. He landed on his face with a muffled "ouch."

"Ooh," Mabel winced as she stood atop, "Wow, Dipper, I'm sorry."

Said boy rolled on his back before bringing himself up. He checked himself for injuries, but found none. He waved his hand dismissively, "It's fi–"

"I'm sorry that I got you so good!" She slid down the banister and launched towards her brother. They both rolled to the floor, with her sprawled on top. She was laughing joyfully, and soon Dipper was too. The two thirteen-year-olds hugged their sides as they started to hurt from laughing too hard. They ended up laying beside each other on the dirty wooden floorboards while trying to catch their breath.

"Oh yeah," Dipper remembered, "I'm done with training for today. Do you have anything in mind that you want to do?"

"Of course! We'll go right away!" She hoisted herself up with a grunt. The female twin took her brother by his vest collar, and he groaned, "Not this again."

Dipper found himself being dragged along the ground as his sister hurried to town. He would let out occasional sounds of discomfort as he hit a rock or a root of a tree. But she paid him no mind, her sights were only looking ahead. He wondered how in the world she could pull this much weight so quickly.

"Here we are!" She extended her arms out to showcase the building they arrived at. Dipper arched an eyebrow. "Greasy's Diner?"

"Yeah! We've been here for five months, but we haven't eaten out. So I thought, why not?"

"But we don't have any money."

"Or do we?" Mabel reached into her sweater, and pulled out a wad of cash. She grinned as his pupils were practically dollars. "Whoa, where did you get all that?!"

"I have my resources," She stuffed the money back into her sweater and pulled him inside.

Grunkle Stan scratched under his arm as he awoke from his nap. Fixing his glasses onto his face, he couldn't help but feel… disturbed. Suddenly, his eyes widened in realization as he rushed to his office. He slammed the door open and ran over his desk to pull open his drawer. There was nothing inside. He fell to his knees and yelled to the sky, "MOTHER—""

"—of food!" The twins mouths were watering as the food they ordered were placed in front of them. Delicious aromas filled their noses, and they quickly dug in. Dipper moaned while Mabel teared up, "I'll eat all of this while I'm still alive!"

She poked her fork through the omelette and took a bite. Immediately, she started to choke. The female twin coughed and sputtered, before hacking out the piece of food. Dipper paused his eating to look at his sister worriedly. She only had a face of disgust, "Don't eat the omelette."

The two brunettes sobered from their food frenzy after a few minutes. The lively ambience of the diner was simply lovely. There was the sizzling of the cooking, the chatter from the customers, and the stereotypical faults that a diner had, like gum under the table. Dipper shook his hand in distaste before pouring a little water on it and drying it.

"So, how's the food?" Their waiter came over and asked. She was a nice elderly woman with one eye closed. Her name tag read 'Lazy Susan.'

Mabel tried to reply with her mouth full, but Dipper quickly took over. "It's really good, thanks!"

"Oh, no, thank you! Wink." Susan used her hand to manually wink her closed eye. The siblings laughed nervously, and Mabel nearly choked again. Swallowing her food, she swiftly took out the right amount of cash to pay for their meal. Lazy Susan was confused, "That's quite alright, dear. You don't have to pay just yet."

"No, I insist."

"Well, if you really want to," She took the money gratefully. Susan beamed at the kids before leaving their table. The twins shuddered briefly, before diving into conversation.

Mabel inquired, "So, how's the training been bro-bro?"

"Fine," Dipper answered, "I got the hang of my sword really fast. Now the grunkles are letting me test it out on the monsters and stuff!"

"Really?" Mabel went visibly worried, "Don't come home with dying breaths anytime soon, okay?"

"Of course I won't. Also, guess who I met today!"

"A unicorn?!"

"What? No!"

"Oh, then who?"

"Wendy!"

Dipper waited for his sister to catch on, but she only gave him a vacant stare. He puffed his cheeks before clarifying, "The girl from the academy with the long red hair. We met her a few months ago."

"Ooh," Mabel recalled, "Yeah, now I remember. What happened?"

"She was in trouble. So using my amazing new skills, I saved her." Dipper smirked arrogantly to himself while Mabel just rolled her eyes.

"What about talking to her? Have any amazing skills on that?"

The male frowned slightly, "Well, yeah. A little bit."

His sister had a deadpanned look and he cracked under her stare, "Okay, no. I suck at talking to girls! You caught me!"

He placed his head on the table and she sighed. Mabel got up and out of her chair, but had to pause to prevent herself from becoming too nauseous. She may have eaten a bit too over the top. She tapped her brother on his arm, "Come on, bro-bro. How about we start teaching you now?"

Perplexed, Dipper turned his head to look at her, "You'll teach me?"

"Well, it'll be hard to demonstrate it by myself." She explained, "But I'm sure I'll find someone to help!"

Dipper nodded and went out as well. They waved goodbye to the Greasy's Diner inhabitants as they exited through the door. The brunettes began to walk around town, with their bellies full and satisfied. Mabel ignored her slight nausea as they continued looking. The female's eyes caught onto someone, and she grinned from ear to ear.

Dipper was stunned as she suddenly bursted forward. He chased after her, but stopped when she unexpectedly jumped.

"GLOMP!"

Bill felt himself being squashed once again. The flock of birds flapped their wings rapidly and flew away. There was a little boy who was feeding them, but soon fled in fright. The blonde grit his teeth and punched the ground in frustration. He didn't have to guess who was on top of him.

"What do you want, Shooting Star?"

"Fancy meeting you here, friend!" She yelled in his ear, and he only grew more annoyed. "We need your help!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Dipper interjected, "We don't need his help, Mabel."

Bill laid his chin in his crossed arms, "Yeah, why would I help you with anything? And I hope you aren't expecting that it's for free."

The girl only pushed herself off of him to stand up. She clapped the dirt off her hands before placing them on her hips. "Well, you see. Dipper's a bit socially inept when it comes to girls, or anyone really."

"Hey!"

"And I was going to teach him some stuff. But I'll need some help."

"This is ridiculous," Bill commented, "I'm not helping your dumb brother with his dumb issues."

"Hey!" The male brunette was ignored once again.

"Oh, come on! I just wanna show Dipper how it's done, you won't even have to do anything! I'll be the guy, you can be the girl." Mabel tried to persuade him. The dream-demon only looked offended. "What? No, I will not be the girl!"

Dipper snickered in the background, "Well, look who's the girl now."

"No one asked, Pine Tree!"

"I don't need your permission to speak!"

"It doesn't matter. Your voice is a pain to hear, anyways!"

"Look who's talking."

"HEY!" Mabel shouted, which stopped their insults from accumulating too high. "Dipper still needs this lesson."

"So? What do I care?" The blonde stood up to leave, but Mabel needed to prevent him from teleporting away. She hurriedly thought up of a plan.

"Oh, why am I asking you, anyways? That would just be silly!" Mabel slapped a hand to her forehead. Bill glared at her, "What is that supposed to mean?"

The female looked up at him tauntingly, "Do you even know how to do it?"

Bill sneered at her, his pride obviously hurt, "Of course I do! Watch and learn, Pine Tree."

Suddenly, the dream-demon grabbed her hand and twirled her into his arms. He leaned her down gracefully. Mabel's eyes widened as Bill looked down at her face with a confident smirk and a piercing eye. He spoke charmingly, "You must be a shooting star, because you made all my wishes come true."

Her face slowly became as red as a tomato. Before he could remark, Bill abruptly felt a hand press his face and push him away from the girl. Dipper was staring him down with pure rage. Mabel was sitting on her legs with her hands to her cheeks while Bill just huffed and looked away. The male twin tried to convince himself that there wasn't a tint of red on the dream-demon's cheeks. Bill stuffed his hands into his pockets and declared, "That's all you're getting from me."

Then, he was gone. Dipper pursed his lips in annoyance. He turned around to check on his sister, who was still in shock. Her face was still bright red, much to his dismay. Just as he was about to mention it, Mabel spilled the contents of her lunch onto the ground beside her. Her twin brother swiftly held her hair up as she vomited.

When she was done, he rubbed a comforting hand on her back. She croaked out, "I may have eaten too much."

Dipper sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Let's just spend the rest of the day at home. I think I've had enough how-to-talk-to-girls lessons for today."

"But you only had one."

"It's all good," He ended their short conversation. She only nodded, not up to talking back. Dipper helped her onto her feet. She tried to walk, but nearly fell forwards. So he put her arm around him to assist her. They began to make their way back to the shack. Their grunkles would be in for quite a story.

* * *

 **I had to fulfill my mabill needs! Hope you don't mind too much. So cheesy, that line :P**

 **Thanks for reading, pce!**


	13. Chapter 13

**HI! I think I just decided that if anyone leaves a review that I'd like to respond to, I'll just put in the username in my author's note.**

 **Domination(Guest): Aaaaaaah ;-; thank you so much, you make me sniffle. And as for the great uncles thing, I fixed it.**

 **Thought I should also mention this as well:**

 **Bill isn't omnipresent, and he doesn't have his wheel of symbols.**

 **OH MAN! MORE PEOPLE ARE JOINING US ON THIS! ISN'T THIS GRAND! LET'S THROW OURSELVES A NICE PARTY! *streamers and confetti pop out***

 **Oh, this one may be a bit of a bomb! On with the story!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

"Oh, so you'll be here soon?" Pacifica's voice filled her office. She had Bud on the receiver of her crystal communicator as she sat at her desk.

"Yes," Bud responded, "And we will apprehend him as fast as possible."

Pacifica held in a sigh of relief, "Thank you, until then."

The call ended. Pacifica twirled the pen in her fingers, before continuing filling out paperwork. The school day would be over in just a few minutes. She didn't need her students questioning or fawning over the CEO when he arrived. This had to be done quickly, and without drawing too much attention. Gideon Gleeful was still celebrity famous, afterall. There may be some kind of uprising if this is all taken as a misunderstanding by the fans.

The bell rung throughout the building. Pacifica sat patiently for Bud's arrival as her students were now leaving. Muffled chatter and steps could be heard through the door, until it eventually quieted down. Silence reigned over the room. It was only moments before a light shone from beside her.

Bud, along with Durland and Blubs, appeared from the light. Their shoes clicked as they touched the platform of her teleportation pad. She stood up from her chair and bowed briefly, before greeting them, "I'm glad you could make it. The school day just ended."

"Where's Gideon?" Bud asked. Pacifica gestured them to follow her. The halls were clear, with litter here and there for the janitors to clean up. The headmistress opened the door to the conference room, and they walked inside. The large screen radars were still keeping up with the energy levels of the town. Green and yellow splashed together, with an exception of orange dotting the map. But Pacifica quickly caught the spot of red.

They all leaned in to get a closer look, and Bud looked to the actual map of Gravity Falls. He frowned, the red was right in the midst of the town. In case this was Gideon's uncontrollable power level, they had to put all the citizens to safety. They weren't aware of how sinister Gideon was now, and Bud didn't want to take a risk.

"Durland, Blubs," Bud ordered, "one of you go to the mayor, and the other go to the radio station. Warn everyone to go inside. Tell them it's an emergency from me."

"Won't that cause too much commotion?" Pacifica inquired.

"It's fine," The older man replied.

"What about the Soul Fighters?" Blubs asked, and Bud answered with, "Tell them to keep their families' safe, and to keep a look out."

The blonde watched as the two officers nodded before rushing out to fulfill their duties. Pacifica turned back to Bud, "What's the plan?"

"We find Gideon, and stop him." He told her grimly. She only arched an eyebrow, "How?"

"I'll find a way." He reassured her, but it sounded more as if he was trying to reassure himself. Pacifica bit back her doubt, and they proceeded to exit the building. Their search for Gideon would start now.

* * *

An unsettling sensation resided in Bill's stomach. He tried to ignore the persistent feeling as he popped a little girl's balloon with a small flame. She cried salty tears as her parents tried to console her. He continued floating by, creating unnecessary problems to soothe his nerves. A man was abruptly displaying public indecency while surrounded by the ash of his clothing. Two children were now trapped on the branches of a tree, their mother crying out worriedly.

He whistled casually while hiding his hands behind his back. The citizens didn't buy it, and shook their fists at him in outrage.

"Menace!" They spat.

Bill rolled his eyes at their insults, no one's opinion affected him. They were all dumb anyways. That's all what humans were, naive meat bags of skin and flesh, with opposable thumbs. He went off to a new area, intending to cause more trouble. But the dream-demon stopped where he was, a sudden chill swept through the air.

Any nearby citizens fled from the cold. The blonde tried to not think much of it, it was still the beginning of a new year anyways. However, he turned around and was surprised to see a smaller figure in front of his path. He grinned in recognition.

"Well, if it isn't short stack! What'll it be?" Bill crossed his leg over his other leg and pretended to be holding a notepad and pen. His eye was staring down at the child expectantly, but he soon noticed a few changes. Gideon's skin seemed even paler than usual, but his eyes were just the opposite. They were pitch black, and it seemed that if you were get a closer look, there was something swirling inside. The weird feeling in his stomach seemed to increase, and Bill inwardly frowned.

That didn't bother him as much as the deranged smile the kid was wearing. It was cocky, confident, almost like Bill's when's he's deceived someone. Gideon spoke, "Oh, nothin' much. I just thought I'd stop by to say hello."

Bill forced a chuckle, "Is that all? If you don't have anything better to do than waste my time, I'll be on my way."

Just as he was about to vanish, a dark light outlined his body. Bill struggled to move while Gideon gave a slight cackle. The dream-demon glared, "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"Don't worry 'bout it, Billy," Gideon moved him around in the air, mocking his immobility, "Just testing out my magnificent powers on a worthless fool."

"That's great, can I go now?"

"Why? Aren't you interested how I got them?" Gideon asked innocently. Bill arched an eyebrow before replying, "No need to explain. I know the story. Draven can run his mouth when he wants to."

"Why don't you stick around for the ending!?" Gideon shouted maniacally before slamming the dream-demon roughly into the ground. Rocks and soil flew by the child's smiling face. Bill's hat laid on the side, speckled with dirt. Gideon yelled towards the ditch he created, "I'd like to return the pain your burn gave me!"

The child celebrity rose his hand, ready to torture the dream-demon by continuously ramming him into the earth. But suddenly, his hand caught on fire. For some reason, it didn't seem to hurt, but it did put him in a momentary shock. His lack of focus broke the telekinesis. A gloved hand shot out and grabbed his wrist, putting out the flame. Bill pulled Gideon up to his face, while wearing a deadly look. His normally black eye was glowing a red hue of anger.

"Listen, **kid**." Bill's voice was distorted. Even in his vengeful state, Gideon discreetly gulped in fear, "If you think you're good at this, **you're wrong**."

Gideon was unceremoniously dropped to the ground, and Bill fixed his bowtie. His voice returned to normal, "Although, keep trying! Maybe you'll get it one day."

The dream-demon picked up his top hat and wiped off the dirt. He patted down his hair before setting it upon his head. With a smug smirk and a curt wave, he left. The child clenched his fists in irritation of feeling defeated, and also being criticized by such an infamous demon. But still, he beamed to himself. His power was strong enough to temporarily hold a demon in his grasp. Albeit, only a dream-demon, but still a demon nonetheless. And what did Bill know about power anyways?

Gideon has been patient for far too long. He didn't need to wait anymore. There was a burning bloodlust that resided deep within his being. He couldn't help but satisfy it.

The child began to march in a peculiar direction, no one went in his way to stop him. It was time.

In the shack, the twins were sitting on the floor in their room. Mabel was relaxing against her brother as he read Ford's journal. She was knitting another one of her amazing sweaters. Her fingers were constant, but careful not to make mistakes. Earlier, Dipper paused his reading to check out her work. He had praised her, "That'll look great on you."

Mabel cheerfully corrected him, "It's not for me, it's for Bill!"

"What? Why?"

"I have to make a gift for him since we're friends!"

Dipper frowned, "You don't have to."

"Fine," Mabel shot him a smile, "I want to."

He only mumbled something under his breath before returning to the book. But it didn't dampen her spirits one bit. The daylight illuminated through their attic window. Mabel was humming an unfamiliar serene tune, making Dipper lightly bob his head along. it was quite peaceful at the moment.

Ford was downstairs, drumming his six fingers against the wooden table as Stan watched his old television shows. For some reason, he gradually felt a weird presence in the area. It was chilling, and malicious. But what struck him the hardest was that it was very familiar. Ford eyes widened as he realized, this was the same sensation from Gideon's show!

"Stan, go hide the kids!" He abruptly commanded. However, Stan didn't even have time to question his motives. Suddenly, a boulder crashed right into the wooden walls of their home and out the other side. Ford watched in horror as his twin brother was knocked out of sight.

"STANLEY!" He yelled out worriedly. Dipper and Mabel rushed downstairs to find out what was happening. Their home had been ripped open, and Ford was now holding a sleek metallic gun. There was a strange feeling of dread in the air.

"Is that your weapon?" Dipper questioned, but Ford ignored it. He pointed his finger back upstairs, "I want you two to hide, now!"

The younger male tried to argue, "But I can help!"

"NOW." Their great uncle firmly stated. Mabel felt fear strike through her body as she pulled a reluctant Dipper behind her. They've never heard him sound so urgent. She dragged him inside their room, and locked the door. Like that would do anything against another boulder, Dipper thought sarcastically.

"Mabel, are we really going to let them handle it by themselves?" He asked as she searched around for things to push in front of the door. They could both hear shouting and rumbles from below.

"What other choice do we have?" She grunted out as she pushed Dipper's bed. He only sighed, "You know what you're doing isn't going to work."

Mabel didn't listen to him. She kept taking every item she could find to barricade the door. Dipper started to worry about his sister. "Mabel?"

She kept running around, and he called again, "Mabel!"

He grew tired of her lack of responses, so he grabbed her by both of her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. They held a surprisingly large amount of fear. Dipper's face slightly fell as he realized, she was scared. He hadn't seen her this scared since… their parents died. He soothingly said, "Mabel, we're gonna be fine."

She seemed to have calmed down at least a little bit. He could see the sparkle in her eyes as she hesitantly asked, "Really?"

Before he could answer, a crash came from behind them. Ford was sitting on the floor, coughing out dust. The twins were stunned, and watched as he rolled out of the way. Their comfy couch chair was thrown upwards, barely grazing Ford's trenchcoat. A new hole was ripped through the roof, but Ford paid no mind. He fired a few shots of his gun through the opening below, before jumping back down the hole where he came from. Dipper and Mabel rushed over to see who they were fighting against.

Gideon was standing inside their home, hands raised beside him. Stan and Ford were circling him, ready to attack again with their weapons. The child didn't seem to have noticed the younger twins that were peering over the edge. The chilling ambience that followed Gideon was more intense than it ever was before. Dipper didn't have time to ponder about it. Unexpectedly, they all felt the house began to shake. The shack was severely damaged, and now it was unstable. It was going to fall apart into smithereens.

Stan hopped up and grabbed both Dipper and Mabel. He bursted out of the hole in the ceiling and jumped down to the ground. Ford also followed in pursuit, but Gideon jumped on the opposite side of the collapsing house. The Pines watched as the shack crumbled down with reverberating booms. Clouds of dust covered their views as debris grazed their bodies. They blocked out any dirt from getting into their eyes with their arms.

Stan pushed the kids behind the trees and bushes as the area was becoming visible. Shambles of wood and items they used daily were piled up in a big cluster. Mabel caught sight of the sweater she was knitting before. It was torn up and shredded, and she felt a brief wave of sadness hit her. But anxiety was overpowering her other emotions. They were in the same scenario of hiding away while the grownups fought against the enemy. Surely, it wouldn't be the same ending…?

Suddenly, Ford shot a few bullets of light at Gideon. The child only sidestepped before hurling a flurry of broken wooden planks at the two great uncles. Stan ran up and skillfully dodged or punched the pieces, breaking it into smaller bits. He aimed forward, ready to launch his fist at the boy's face. However, it stopped short. Gideon held Stan in his telekinesis, and prepared to throw him into a tree.

But more bullets were fired at Gideon. He was forced to release Stan and jumped back. There was a rip in his sleeve, along with a slight burn. His blazer was torn here and there, along with smudges of dirt. Although, the grunkles weren't looking any better. They were breathing heavily, with blood streaming from the various cuts on their bodies. Ford gritted his teeth, "He's absorbing our soul essence."

"We have to keep going," Stan insisted. Ford only nodded briefly, before the three engaged in yet another battle. Bullets of light and objects from their surroundings were fired all over. Dipper and Mabel could barely keep up with what was happening, and with who was winning. However, they could see their great uncles were visibly getting more tired as the fight went on. Sweat layered their skin, and their clothing was gradually becoming ruined.

Gideon had a scowl on his face as the fight went on. It wasn't really that he was getting tired. All he was doing was standing in one general spot flinging objects at them. It was more because these stupid old men wouldn't die already! Everytime he had a grip on one of them with his power, the other would break his concentration. He needed to find the perfect opening to catch both of them.

He forced up their totem, and hurled it towards them. It barely touched the great uncles, but it hit the tree behind them. Gideon was surprised to hear two yelps, seemingly belonging to young voices. Dipper and Mabel rolled out from behind the cover of the forest, much to Gideon's sick pleasure. He grinned sinisterly at the sight of them. The two great uncles were horrified at the exposure of the kids.

"Now the whole family is here…" Gideon chortled insanely. Stan felt his veins pop angrily. He took another leap at Gideon, and poised a punch filled with unbridled rage. However, he was stopped once again by the child celebrity, who was only using one hand. Ford didn't even have the moment to reprimand his brother for his careless mistake. Abruptly, he was also caught in the powerful grip.

The younger twins were too dumbfounded to react. Gideon raised both of his hands, in which the great uncles were forced to follow. They were raised extraordinarily high off of the ground. Suddenly, the older men plummeted down like twin lightning strikes. A loud crash resonated from the impact. Puffs of dirt were created in its wake. Dipper's breath caught in his throat as Mabel cried out tearfully, "NO!"

No one rose from the ground. Stan and Ford were hidden in the holes in the earth, making it impossible for the younger twins to see if they were okay in any way. But Gideon broke out into successful evil smile, before pointing his hand to Mabel. She was unexpectedly lifted up, then started flying towards the younger boy. Dipper attempted to pull his sister back, but her fingers slipped from his grasp. Gideon forced her to hold his hand while keeping her immobile with his power. Her face scrunched up as she tried to wrestle out of the hold.

"Mabel!" Dipper shouted in concern. His hand gleamed a blue light before summoning his sword. Gideon just smirked, "Ooh, the boy has a weapon. I wonder what he'll do with it."

The brunette glared at him as he held a defensive stance. Mabel cheered, "Beat him up good!"

Albeit her encouragement, she felt distraught about what was about to happen. Dipper wasn't super far into his training, and he especially wasn't ready for enemies of this level! It felt as though she was clutching onto icy death. This boy reeked of pure vengeance, he may give no mercy on her brother. Mabel tried to hold back her apprehension. But she couldn't help but have a fleeting picture of her twin laying motionless in his own blood.

Dipper inhaled deeply, before bursting forward. Gideon prepared to capture him in his telekinesis, but the brunette picked up a piece of broken wood and threw in front of his line of sight. The blonde ended up controlling the wood while Dipper slid from underneath and swung his sword upwards. Gideon barely had time to step back, and ended up with a cut on his chubby cheek. Crimson liquid dripped down his chin, but he only wiped it off.

Dipper swiftly swung his sword again, and another cut appeared on Gideon's arm. The blonde fired pieces of wood at the male twin, but Dipper did his best to avert most of them. However, one hit him smack dab in the face. The brunette briskly staggered back. He recovered just in time to somersault on top of the flying television that was hurled towards him. Dipper leaped up to the air, and dove in the direction of where Gideon was standing. Raising his sword, he prepared to strike downwards.

"DIPPER, NO!" Mabel shrieked.

But it was too late. Dipper had stopped mid-air, the dark light surrounding his body. The sword was forced out of his hands as Gideon flexed his fingers to change his pose. It clattered to the ground before vanishing with a shine of light. Dipper had a black expression directed towards the younger boy. Gideon was just grinning spitefully.

"Not bad, boy," Gideon falsely complimented, "They taught you well."

"But not well enough." With those last words, Dipper met the same fate as his great uncles. His body was slammed into the earth as Mabel's face was petrified. Her breathing became rapid as Gideon brought her brother back into view. Dipper coughed until blood sputtered from his mouth. But he looked up with strong deficiency. Gideon just clicked his tongue in disappointment.

"I didn't take ya' much for a fool. Just give up already!"

Gideon prepared to slam him again. But Mabel's voice stopped him, "Don't hurt him anymore! Didn't you get what you wanted?!"

"What I want," Gideon eyed her creepily, "Is these people dead, and you as ma' queen."

Dead, the word echoed in her ears. Mabel didn't know what was coming over her, but it felt as though she was being drowned. She didn't doubt Gideon's proclamation for a second. But this little boy was going to kill her brother? This was madness! He was no human, he was a monster.

Dipper barely had time to recover before he was smashed into the ground again. He arose with even more scratches and cuts, blood ran down his skin. Dipper struggled to make some kind of smart remark. Mabel didn't know if she was crying, but she did beg, "Please, stop!"

Gideon didn't listen. He repeated the same action once more. The crater in the ground became even deeper. Dipper was risen up to view, his eyes were now closed with a stream of crimson running down the side of his face. Mabel couldn't even tell if he was still breathing. She pleaded again, louder this time, "STOP!"

The child celebrity only had a wide grin that bore his shining white teeth. His cheeks were pushed far up his face. His hand was raised high above his head, prepared to swing down a final time. Mabel squeezed her eyes shut and screamed.

"I SAID **STOP IT!** "

Suddenly, Gideon felt a hot white burning sensation on his hand where he held Mabel. He cried out in severe pain, and she took this as a chance to run towards her fallen brother. She hastily pulled a vial out of her sweater, and opened it up. Mabel forced her brother to drink the red liquid. Within moments, his injuries seemed to be fading away.

Mabel sighed in relief, and wiped her eyes of brimming tears. He was out cold, yet steadily breathing. It looked as if he was only sleeping.

"You… What did you do?" Gideon panted from far behind her. She kneeled beside her brother while watching the blonde examine his hand. They were both astounded to see that there was some kind of crack running down his skin. Inky darkness seeped from it, making it seem as though his hand was smoking. Gideon shot an accusing glare at the girl, but she only had a perplexed expression. Mabel herself wasn't sure how that happened.

"You really are peculiar, aren't ya?" Gideon let out a low chuckle, "Makes it even better for you as ma' queen."

Mabel gripped onto her brother's arm, not wanting to go back. The child directed his hand at her. She could already feel the dark power engulfing her being. She didn't know how she got free the first time, but she hoped it would happen again. Mabel held her breath as Gideon was about to pull her back.

The sound of metal cutting through the air broke Gideon's focus. He jumped away from the incoming attack. Dirt briefly smoke screened the wielder. Mabel snapped her attention to the newcomer. The child scowled as the female twin's face lightened up in recognition.

Pacifica was protectively standing in front of the Pines. She glanced behind her, catching sight of the unconscious Dipper and the fretting Mabel. However, there was no sight of Stan or Ford. The headmistress glowered at the younger boy, "I didn't want to believe it, but you really did come here."

Gideon just shrugged nonchalantly, "What can I say? Today was the day."

"I guess you're right," Pacifica sighed, "Today is the day."

In the blink of an eye, she was in front of Gideon's surprised face. Her blonde hair fluttered behind her as she prepared to strike with her sword. Gideon yelped in pain as she grazed his side. He stumbled back while the headmistress held her signature stance. The cut began to bleed profusely, and the boy clutched his wound. He could feel that it was already healing, but slowly. Gideon sneered at her before hurling a large rock in her direction. It missed its target since she only tilted her head slightly.

He tried to lift up the rock again, but it only rose a few inches before plopping down. Gideon failed every time he tried to lift it, to which he grew frustrated and angry. It was then that Pacifica noticed the seeping darkness from his cracked hand. It puzzled her, but it seemed to be working in her favor.

Her sword disappeared with a gleam of light. She bursted forward as Gideon was struggling to work his power. Pacifica grabbed him by his collar and slammed him down on his back. Gideon grit his teeth in pain and clutched her wrist, trying to tear it off of him.

"Give it up, Gideon," Pacifica spoke to him as she looked down at his irked expression, "The least you'll get is prison."

The child only continued to claw at her gloves. He shook his head rapidly and yelled, "No! I won't let you stop me! I won't let **anyone stop me!** "

Pacifica's eyes widened as his hand suddenly exploded in inky darkness. A black wispy tentacle grabbed her by the waist and threw her off of him. She rolled in the air and landed on her feet. She was stunned to see Gideon with the new limb. There was also a crack running up from his neck, and stopping at his cheek. The wound at his side was gone, a scar was left in its place.

His grin was strained and his eyes were glossed over. Gideon laughed maniacally as he swung his new limb around.

"Are you scared, Northwest?!" He questioned her hysterically, "I'm on a whole new level of power, and I'll only get stronger!"

Pacifica felt her energy being drained, but she couldn't let him take an advantage. Unfortunately, it seemed she couldn't have the chance to contact Bud. The headmistress summoned her sword again, ready to fight against his new grotesque feature.

Mabel watched as Gideon swung the tentacle at her, starting the battle. Pacifica dodged and arched her sword to slice it. She was successful, but it made no progress. The tentacle only regrew quickly, before launching at her. The headmistress sidestepped and sprinted towards the younger blonde. But she'd only be dragged back by him.

Mabel held onto her brother as she observed quietly. Her brother only twitched his eyes in response, but didn't get up. She was still immensely distressed since she had no idea if her great uncles were alright. The brunette couldn't make a move to check, since she was afraid to that Dipper or herself would get hurt.

The fight went on with both sides pushing with full force. She'd try to get closer to the boy and attack him directly, but the tentacle would stop her. It was either by pulling her back or trying to harm her. But either way, Pacifica began to worry as she felt a drop of sweat flow down her face, and her chest getting heavy. Usually, she'd last way longer than this. But it felt as if her soul was gradually being ripped from her body.

Mabel looked around at the ground to see if she could help. She swiftly grabbed a small rock and held it in her hands. With all of her strength, she pitched it at Gideon. It hit its mark on his temple, and he stumbled on his feet. He gripped his head as spots were dotting his vision. Pacifica took this opportunity to attack.

She dashed towards his vulnerable state and slashed his shoulder. Pacifica drew her sword back briefly as he cried out in pain. Just as she was about to strike again, inky darkness blasted from his shoulder to his neck. The tentacle grabbed her in her moment of surprise, and flung her against the trunk of a tree. She shook off the pain and recovered quickly.

Mabel and Pacifica were horrified to see half of Gideon's face, along with his arm, made of a wispy black substance. His eye and half of his mouth were gone, yet he still grinned insanely.

"W-What's happening to him?" Mabel stuttered out.

Pacifica's face was mostly emotionless, but there was a hint of melancholy, "He's too far gone."

She twirled her sword in her hand, before running up to attack. But Gideon used his normal hand to stop her in her tracks. He once again rammed her harshly into a nearby tree, to which the trunk actually broke. The tree descended with loud cracks of wood as pines went all over.

"Pacifica!" Mabel hollered from the side. Dipper stirred a bit, and his eyes fluttered open. He barely had time to assess the situation.

The headmistress stood up from under the fallen tree, with some scratches now apparent on her outfit. She dizzily leaned over the trunk, and saw Gideon launch his tentacle at Mabel. Pacifica's breath was stuck in her throat as it was about to grab her.

With a bright blue illumination, the tentacle was cut off once again. Dipper was holding his sword in his hand while standing defensively in front of Mabel. Pacifica was astonished and the female brunette smiled joyfully. However, Gideon brought back his tentacle, which regenerated almost instantly. He hissed, "You're healed?! How?"

Dipper pursed his lips, he didn't know either. He shrugged, "Maybe because I'm… awesome?"

The child furiously lashed his tentacle at the male twin. But Pacifica intercepted and cut it off again. Dipper took the chance to run in and attack. His sword slashed Gideon's leg, but it only burst into inky darkness once again. The male brunette jumped back to avoid being touched by it. Now half of his body was made of the wispy black substance, and Dipper cringed, "Oh man, what happened to you while I was sleeping?"

Pacifica whipped her head and berated him, "Take this seriously!"

"Okay, okay," Dipper grumbled.

Dipper and Pacifica readied their swords as they stood next to eachother. Mabel kneeled behind them nervously. Gideon only smirked, the next fight would begin.

* * *

 **ooooooooooooooooh dang! Fight scenes are pretty hard to write okay ;-; I think I did okay? I really enjoyed writing this chap :P the calm before the storm, man. This turned out to be the longest chapter I've written! I actually planned to continue it, but hey, who doesnt love cliffhangers?**

 **Gideon is transforming into something nasty. Oh Mabel and her weird coincidences.**

 **Hope you enjoyed it, wait until the next one!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Guys, Gravity Falls is ending after Weirdmaggedon 2. November 23rd is when it's all done. I'd just like to say, thank you Gravity Falls. I feel really heartbroken and lost, I will truly miss this show. But I will continue this fanfic until it finishes too.**

 **HOW DARE YOU ALL MAKE ME PRODUCE DISGUSTING TEARS OF JOY BECAUSE OF YOUR AMAZING FEEDBACK AND MY AWESOME FOLLOWERS AND FAVORITERS AND REVIEWERS AND EVERYONE WHO IS READING THIS STORY BECAUSE THEY LIKE IT. I WILL ANNIHIL-**

 **It's great to have you all again! Have I made you wait too long?**

 **5waydragon: Oh, don't worry my faithful one, Dipifica all the way! He just needs some kind of… heh, lesson, of some sort. And I'll try to make a subtle one ;)**

 **My lovely guest, and others who want some Mabel action, I must ask! Please be patient, and expect some special stuff for later in the story!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

Silence reigned over. They all anticipated the first move to be made. Mabel observed the two in front of her were gripping their swords tightly. But to her surprise, Pacifica discretely dropped two red vials onto the dirt, careful not to make noise. Mabel quickly understood what she was asking. Then, she saw Gideon in the back, smirking arrogantly. The female brunette used her arms to hug herself from the chilly atmosphere.

Suddenly, her twin started off. Gideon focused his attention on him, and Mabel made a swift grab for the two vials. She stuffed them in her sweater as their fight begun.

Dipper bursted forward and evaded several attacks, before fighting directly with the tentacle. It swung at him fiercely while he darted left and right. Although, he would occasionally mutilate it, only for it to grow back. Dipper felt himself getting a bit annoyed at this.

Meanwhile, Pacifica charged in right away while the younger blonde was distracted. However, her footsteps made loud crunching as she threw back her arm to swing at Gideon. He jerked his human hand in her direction to use his telekinesis, and she was unwillingly paused. Pacifica braced herself as she was hurled towards Dipper.

The brunette instantly registered the body that was thrown at him. He reacted as fast as he could and caught her in his arms. His feet dug into the dirt as he tried not to fly off the ground from the impact. Dipper's chest ached slightly, but he ignored it. He was stunned for a moment before asking, "Whoa, are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" Pacifica forced herself out of his grip and stood on her feet, "We don't have much time, so let's just keep going."

Dipper nodded briefly, before dashing at Gideon once again. The tentacle was launched at him, but he only jumped on it and continued on his way. He dodged the smaller tentacles that sprouted out and backflipped off once he was close enough. With a battle cry, he dove towards Gideon.

The younger boy didn't stop smirking, "Too easy."

Gideon was about to capture Dipper in his hold, but he felt the breath knocked out of him. Pacifica had reappeared behind him, and jabbed his back three times. As a finishing touch, she swung her sword powerfully. She jumped back while Dipper finally met his mark. With a sickening slice, Gideon's arm and leg was cut clean off from his horizontal cut. Dipper leaped away and they all watched as he detonated into an inky blackness.

A distorted laugh came from the disgusting figure, " **I've got a lot of soul essence left! I'll take yours too!** "

Only half of Gideon's face was human. The rest of his body was nothing but the wispy black substance in the form of some kind of blob with tentacles. His poofy blonde hair was replaced with the black wisps that made it look like fire. His eye had no pupil, but instead it seemed as though it was rolled back into his head.

Before she could react, Pacifica was sent flying. She tumbled harshly upon the ground before skidding to a stop. Dipper inhaled sharply, not able to release a panicked yell. He brought his sword up to guard himself right when the tentacle striked him. The brunette grit his teeth as he kept his stance against the powerful force. With a cry, he swung his sword to create an opening, and sprinted forward.

At the same time, Mabel ran towards one of the holes where their great uncles were. She tentatively peeked inside, afraid of what she may see. She gasped at Stan, who was unconscious while bruised and bloodied. His glasses were cracked and his clothes were torn. The female twin slid inside carefully, and tried to avoid making contact with the blood on the ground. The smell was strong and metallic, so she stifled a gag. She took out one of the vials and forced her great uncle to chug it down.

The effect was immediate; the scratches and injuries were disappearing before her eyes. His breathing was steady and normal. But the blood still remained, causing her to make a face of disgust. Stan stayed in a comatose state however, and she didn't know for how long. The female brunette caught the sight of his signature fez. With caution, she placed it next to his face. After giving a satisfied nod, Mabel decided to heal Ford while Stan wasn't awake.

She hoisted herself onto the rocks and peered over the edge of the hole. Dipper and Pacifica were still fighting aggressively against Gideon, who was doing just as much. She observed her brother's chest was heaving as she saw sweat trail down his temple. Mabel frowned, but took the chance and bolted to the other hole.

She was nearly across until she heard Dipper shout from afar, "Mabel, look out!"

" **Where d'ya think you're goin'?!** "

The girl in question turned her head to see a tentacle heading straight for her. She yelped and hastily ducked, but she tripped on her feet. Gideon prepared to grab her once again. Fortunately, she rolled over just in time and crawled hurriedly while the tentacle was trying to capture her.

Pacifica racked her brain for any solution. She didn't have enough soul essence to boost herself all the way to where Mabel was. But maybe there could be something else…

"Dipper!" Pacifica called, and the boy snapped his attention to her, "Boost me!"

Dipper complied. He connected his hands to make a stepping stool and faced his body to her. She hopped on his hands, and the combination of her launch and his force made her go as fast as lightning. Pacifica soared through the air and over Gideon, her sword aimed and ready. Once it was in reach, she sliced off the tentacle that went for Mabel, and landed on the ground.

Pacifica and Dipper were now both on the opposite side of Gideon. To divert his attention, Dipper ran in with yet another battle cry, with the headmistress following suit.

Mabel frantically scrambled to her feet and finally reached Grunkle Ford. To her dismay, he was in the exact same state as his twin was. She descended a little faster, and flinched when she heard small clinks. The female twin looked down to see her shoe stepped on a few glass shards. Apparently, Ford's glasses contained no lenses, and she realized that shards were scattered all over. The young girl carefully made her way to her great uncle, and brought out the vial.

She poured it in his mouth and lifted his head, making him gulp it down. She sighed in relief and smiled, he was healing quickly as well. His chest rose up and down, and his face didn't seem as strained. Even though she didn't enjoy her great uncle being gone for his experiments or creations or other important science-y stuff, she appreciated this one. Now, both of their great uncles were sure to be okay.

Mabel hiked her way up the hole again, and was glad to see that Dipper and Pacifica were still standing. However, her worry increased again as she noticed that even the headmistress was having trouble keeping up now. She clenched her fists against her heart as she tried to calm its raging beats.

Dipper was slicing his way through the tentacle as he tried to draw closer to Gideon. But one suddenly struck from his side, and he fell to the ground. Just then, Pacifica bursted in and cut off the tentacle before it finished him off. Her long, blonde hair fluttered behind her, along with her outfit. She had a determined look as she faced forward.

Dipper snapped out of his daze and got up. He readied his sword as he stood next to her. He had to keep looking forward as well. With newfound strength, Dipper ran in once again. But this time, he made sure not to be stopped. He boosted his feet and slashed with his sword, he was nearly at his target.

With one final swing, the tentacle was cut off from where it originated from. It should give them enough time.

"Pacifica!" Dipper backflipped away just as the headmistress sprinted in. Her sword glowed a bright light, before she countlessly jabbed Gideon's horrendous figure. With a cry, she swung it hard through the body.

This time, it had to work! Pacifica and Dipper observed as the figure only slightly shrunk. But were terrified when it grew tenfold. An insane cackle reverbreated throughout the area.

" **You can't stop me!** "

* * *

"No sign of him anywhere in town, sir." Durland reported in the crystal communicator. Bud frowned, they had been searching for more than an hour now, yet no luck. And to make it worse, he hadn't caught a glance of Pacifica at any corner. The headmistress hasn't even called or picked up his call. Was this all some kind of sick prank?

"I see. Well, for now let's—"Bud stopped speaking when he realized someone was behind him. He slowly continued, "keep searching. Report in if you spot anything."

"Roger that."

The call ended. Bud turned around and was met with a young boy, around the age of adolescence. He had messy blonde hair and an eyepatch over his right eye, but his uncovered eye was striking and cat-like. His outfit was quite peculiar because it seemed too formal to wear for a casual stroll. However, no one was supposed to be outside right now.

Bud endured the desire to increase his frown as he felt a strange aura from the boy.

"What can I do for ya', son?"

"Oh, you must be Bud Gleeful! The famous Soul Fighter CEO extraordinaire." The boy tipped his top hat and bowed respectfully, but it seemed almost mocking. Bud replied warily, "Why, yes I am. But listen, you shouldn't be out here."

"Don't fret," The young blonde shoved his hands in his pockets. His voice was relaxed and friendly, but it didn't soothe Bud's nerves. "I just thought I could give you some information that you'd like."

Bud arched an eyebrow and the boy clarified, "Where Gideon is."

Bud stifled a snort, "You're kidding."

"Why? Do I seem like the one to play jokes?"

Bud was about to respond, but was astonished to suddenly see his fancy white hat on the boy's head. The CEO reached for his own head and only found himself holding a top hat.

"Hmm, I think I'll keep this." The boy inspected the hat thoughtfully, but laughed it off. He handed it back to Bud, who only snatched it and threw the top hat back at him.

"Jokes! I like my hat way better!"

The older man interrogated quickly, "Why would you know where he is?! Who are you?"

The boy in question just shrugged with a silly grin, "Oh, I know lots of things. Like how you shouldn't be wasting time with me, and instead you should try to find your rampaging son."

Bud glared, "What's the catch?"

"No catch, really. Just a favor." The blonde stepped closer to the older man, and Bud positioned his hands in case he tried to attack. But the boy only gestured with his finger for him to lean in closer. Bud cautiously did so, and was stared down intensely by the narrowed pupil.

The boy's voice was low and serious, no trace of his former laidback attitude, "Keep the sweater girl safe, or I'll be killing your son for you."

"The sweater girl?" Bud asked in confusion. "Who are you talking about?"

But in the blink of an eye, the younger blonde was gone. In his place was a chubby, pink pig. It stared at up at him innocently, before running off. It looked back at him briefly and oinked. He took it as a sign to follow the pig.

"Durland, Blubs, I think I have a lead. Keep searching just in case." Bud spoke through his crystal communicator.

"Roger that." Was the reply.

Bud trailed behind the pink animal, which was travelling speedily. The pig was surprisingly fast with its stubby legs and chubby body. The CEO found himself stepping outside the boundaries of the town. He looked back to watch the buildings growing smaller and smaller. He thought of going back, but this might be his one lead of actually finding Gideon.

The daylight pierced through the thickness of the forest. There were series of pine trees that surrounded him, along with bushes, flowers and grass. Yet, he didn't spot any animals other than the one he was following. It struck him as odd, but it was nothing compared to the ambience he felt.

As he went behind the pig, there was a faint frigid air of strong foreboding. It only increased as he walked deeper into the forest. But it seemed as though this walk was taking forever. Bud was really starting to doubt this may help him in any way. Yet, that was just about to change.

In the distance, he heard battle cries from young voices, and then occasional disturbing noises. Bud picked up his pace just as the pig did, anticipating to find what he needed. He boosted his feet and ran forward. He found a clearing up ahead, and examined the scene.

Bud was horrified to see the area was destroyed to pieces. There were a few trees knocked down or marked with damage. A huge clumpy pile of wooden boards and other household items were lying in the middle. Plus, there were several cracks along the ground that originated from deep holes. For more effect, there were burnt marks and blood splatters here and there. But what immediately caught his eye was two kids fighting a big mess of a wispy black monster.

It took him only seconds to recognize his son's face on it.

"Waddles!" Another young voice rang out. Bud realized that the pig had disappeared from his side and was now beside a brown-haired girl wearing a sweater. She was sitting back as the other two were engaged in battle. Wait, is that the sweater girl that the other boy was talking about?

Well, that didn't matter as of right now. With a shine of light, a large, silver hammer appeared in his hands. He channeled soul essence to his weapon, which caused it to illuminate a bright glow. Bud swung his arm back and hurled the hammer towards Gideon.

All of them turned to the sound of metal slicing through the air. They saw a flash pass through Gideon's hideous figure, before it exploded in light. They shielded their eyes from the extreme brightness. When it seemed to dim down enough, they uncovered their vision. Everyone saw that Gideon was now less than half of his original size, which left him easier to defeat.

Pacifica looked over her shoulder, and was astounded to find Bud standing there. The twins were a bit puzzled to see him, causing questions to form in their heads. But in a moments notice, his hammer reappeared in his grasp. Dipper prepared to join the older man as he was about to launch forward.

The headmistress held a hand out to stop Dipper from running out, "It's alright, he's got this."

Said boy just had a mixed expression of disappointment and understanding. The two backed off next to Mabel, and watched what the CEO would do next. Pacifica did wonder, however. How did he manage to find them?

Bud gave a long stare of melancholy at the haphazard figure. All of this happened because of him. His son never deserved this. He was too focused on work to realize where his family was ending up. If Gideon wasn't insane and evil-ridden, he wouldn't want things to turn out like this.

" **About time you showed up, old man.** " Gideon's distorted voice spoke out.

Bud shook his head, "I think it's time for you to rest, son."

Gideon's figure spiked in rage, " **I said don't call me that!** "

The child let out a maniacal holler as he fired narrow whips at Bud. The older man only skillfully averted them as he dashed closer to the figure. This was going to end now.

" **Get away from me!** " The figure screamed. Loud vibrations shook the ground, but Bud paid no mind. However, it did catch his footing off. The kids had their breath stuck in their throats as they anticipated what would happen next. The thin tentacles were about to strike through his body, and Bud prepared to counter them.

But bullets of light were shot through the tentacles. They all looked over to see Ford with his gun, kneeling in front of his hole. Stan was currently hoisting himself up.

"Go!" He gruffly yelled out. Bud pursed his lips and firmly nodded. With his hammer in hand, he charged for Gideon.

Blurry memories flashed in his mind. All of them included Gideon and his wife. The day he married her, the day Gideon was born, the first words he said, and the first steps he took.

Bud let out a battle cry as he swung his hammer straight through where Gideon's chest would be. He panted heavily, and felt a single tear drop down from his eye. The CEO looked down in shame, before looking up to face his son. The human half of Gideon's face was contorted in guilt and pain, his eye contained his pupil. He struggled to speak, but no words came out.

The father sniffed and uttered out, "I'm sorry, too, Gideon. But it's okay now."

Gideon's face visibly relaxed. His eye closed and his mouth curved into a small smile, as if at peace. His face slowly faded into a white light, particles rose and drifted off elsewhere. The remaining black substance dispersed suddenly, without leaving anything behind.

There was thick silence afterwards. Bud's weapon disappeared, and he turned around. He was smiling, albeit not too brightly, "He's gone."

"It's over…" Mabel whispered.

"We did it!" Dipper exclaimed excitedly. Caught up in the moment, he brought in both Mabel and Pacifica for a hug. The female brunette laughed while Pacifica felt her face heat up. The blonde scrunched her face in irritation before pushing away the boy. She crossed her arms and faced the hugging twins.

"Who said you could hug me?!"

"Aw, come on! You know you want it!" Mabel tried to persuade her.

"Yeah, Pacifica, lighten up some." Dipper added.

The headmistress only turned her head away and pouted. She looked kind've… cute, Dipper thought. He didn't have time to argue with that thought as Mabel grabbed his hand and grinned evilly.

"We'll have to show her what hugs are all about!"

He only gave the exact same smile back and nodded. They both turned their heads, and Pacifica discreetly shuddered at how creepy they were. The twins were about to pounce on her, if not for the fact their great uncles were now walking towards them.

"Grunkle Stan! Grunkle Ford!" Dipper and Mabel gasped and ran over to them happily. They tackled the older men, causing them to fall to the ground. The older twins griped about how heavy they were, but the younger twins didn't care. They were all alive and well.

Pacifica solemnly stared on, before breaking out a small smile. She noticed Bud walking over to them. The headmistress bowed gratefully, "Thank you sir, for helping us."

"I barely did anything," He tipped his white hat, "Y'all are amazing Soul Fighters. Although, may I ask who you are?"

He directed his question at Dipper, who only looked back in surprise, "Oh, me? I'm Dipper Pines."

"Good to meet you, I'll be expecting ya' someday to help in my community." Bud shook his hand, and Dipper beamed at him.

"May I ask?" Pacifica questioned Bud, who only nodded, "How did you know we were here?"

"Ah, well, I didn't." Bud turned to Mabel, who fidgeted under his gaze, "It was a blonde boy who left me a pig to follow, so I did."

"Bill helped us..." Mabel said to herself. Bud shrugged nonchalantly and asked, "Is he your boyfriend?"

"What? No, no no no!" Mabel waved her hands around frantically while her family shot accusing glares in her direction. She blushed lightly, and looked up at the older man, "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason." Bud answered. He dusted himself off and smiled at the group.

"I'll be taking Pacifica back with me to clear up the situation. But I'll also send repairs to your home to fix it up as soon as possible, it's the least I can do."

Stan's eyes widened and Ford was taken aback. Stan rubbed his hands together in dangerous thought, this was his chance to have an even better house! Just as he was about to speak, Ford did before him, "I'll be sure to send the blueprints to you. Thank you."

Bud tipped his hat again, before leaving the area. Pacifica followed behind them. The two disappeared from their sight, leaving the Pines all alone. Grunkle Ford fired a glare at his twin, "Don't think I didn't know what you were thinking."

"What?" Grunkle Stan crossed his arms defensively, "It was a good thought!"

Ford rolled his eyes as Dipper and Mabel checked each other's condition. All of them were dirtied, especially the males. Dipper questioned, "Where will we live?"

"The hotel, of course. And we'll have to go get some new clothes as well." Ford answered.

Stan lowered himself on one knee and ruffled their already messy hair. "I'm proud of you both."

Ford stood behind him and smiled in agreement. The younger twins smiled back, but it was short-lived for Dipper. He noticed something was odd about his usual appearance, other than the fact he was dirty. He patted his hair before running towards the shambles, "My hat!"

Mabel's eyes widened, before helping him search around in the mess. They were careful not to hurt themselves or to slip on anything. They lifted up every item they could in search of the pine tree hat.

Mabel heard Dipper gasp, "Found it!"

He pulled it out in success. Miraculously, it was perfectly fine, except for a little grime. But Dipper just adjusted it on his head and sighed contently. It was good to have his hat back.

Stan rolled his eyes while Ford motioned them to follow, "Alright, let's go now. We have to get money from the bank and a good room while we can."

"Oh, yeah!" Mabel remembered. The younger twins ran up to their great uncles, before walking in pace with them. Everything was okay now.

* * *

Mabel looked herself in the mirror. She hadn't expected to dress like this in such a short time. The black dress was simple, and it clung to her petite body. Although, it's only been a few weeks after the whole Gideon incident. Bud was ready for the funeral now. It would have been rude to decline.

"Are you ready?" Dipper walked in their room. The shack was built quite fast, as Bud promised. But no changes were made to their home. It was all the same, except cleaner. On the day it was finished, Stan had grumbled while Ford just smiled.

Her twin was wearing a fancy tuxedo, with his tie done. But there were some wrinkles around it to show he struggled to put it on. She muffled her laugh, and he gave her a questioning look. She only shook her head, "I'm ready, let's go."

The day was a bit gloomier, but still bright. The Pines joined the other attendees in front of the coffin. Familiar faces were spread out in the crowd. They looked down as Bud spoke tearful words of nostalgia. And they watched as the coffin was lowered six feet under the ground.

Dirt was being thrown inside and piled up until it evened out with the rest of the ground. They gave their condolences to Bud, before leaving.

Dipper and Mabel sat on the roof of their shack, staring into the deep unknown of the forest.

"You think..." Mabel started off hesitantly. Dipper looked at her to go on.

"You think that things could've been different?"

Her twin lowered his eyes in thought, before shrugging, "Would it have been better if it was different?"

Mabel sighed, "Who knows?"

They surely didn't. But a deep part of them wouldn't have had this turn out any other way.

* * *

 **WHOOP! The Gideon arc is done! I don't think I'll create some kind of series of stories, but instead I'll add onto this one. Never had such a large multi chapter story…. Oh I've never even had a multi chapter story.**

 **My apologies if it seemed a bit rushed with Gideon's defeat from Bud, but hey, if you're the CEO of fighting programs then you gotta be good right?**

 **Ah yes, Gideon and Bud and father-son relationships. Remember, Mabill and Dipifica! Amazing family** **relationships but nothing more than that!**

 **Thank you all for reading on, this is only the beginning! I, myself, am not actually sure how long this will be. But I do know the journey will be quite something to read, hopefully.**

 **Until next time!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Ta-da! So this chapter is a bit of a filler, I guess. You know, to lighten up from the last few chapters!**

 **I love Dipper in this chapter. I love him in general. I love everyone in Gravity Falls. But poor guy, man.**

 **Domination(Guest): You're wonderful! Thank you for telling me but at the same time WHY I HAVE TO DIE THREE** **TIMES NOW—**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

Dipper sat cross legged on the floor of their room as Mabel had a chart up. His face was clearly confused as he tried to comprehend the drawing on the paper.

"Alright, bro-bro," Mabel started, "I have arranged this meeting with you today for important reasons."

She held a ruler in her hand, and whacked the paper. The female brunette declared matter of factly, "This is Bill."

Dipper 'ooh-ed' in recognition, before commenting, "Mabel, that barely looks like him. Like, why is his face so triangular? And his eye is too sparkly. Not to mention his hair kind've reminds me of that swedish guy on the internet—"

"Minor details, Dipper! Stay focused on the big things!" She barked at him. He was taken aback slightly before mumbling an incoherent agreement. She cleared her throat and set down the ruler.

"Anyways," She continued, "I have made it my duty to uncover one of the greatest secret of secrets!"

Mabel grabbed a red marker and circled a particular spot on the drawing, "His eyepatch!"

Dipper arched an eyebrow, "Why is that so interesting?"

"Dipper, Dipper, Dipper…" She shook her head disappointedly. "Can't you imagine a little bit? What if the world's longest rainbow is in there?"

"But that's impossible—"

"Exactly! Or what about an infinite amount of nachos!"

"Where are you getting these ideas—"

"Or maybe it's a fountain of smile dip!"

"Mabel, did you get smile dip without me knowing—"

"The possibilities are endless!" She threw her arms up wildly. "Aren't you at least a little bit curious?"

He pondered briefly, before shrugging, "I guess. But why am I here, again?"

"To help me, of course!" She rolled her eyes at him, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "With your integel—intelel—with your smartness, and my constant diligence, we are sure to succeed!"

It puzzled him how she was able to say diligence, but not intelligence. I mean, they were practically the same pronunciation! But before he could say no, she already clapped her hands together, "Great! So these are my plans…"

As Mabel was pulling Dipper out the door to start their quest, Grunkle Ford stopped them. The young male sighed in relief as Ford talked to his sister, "Dear, we haven't trained today. Do you really need him?"

She straightened her back and looked him straight in the eyes, "Yes."

Their great uncle blinked, before waving them off with a smile, "Alright, have fun!"

"Wait, Grunkle Ford—" The poor boy didn't have time to finish as he was dragged, once again, by his vest collar. He helplessly flailed his arms as Stan also waved goodbye from the porch. Is this why people rarely wear these things anymore?!

Mabel tapped her chin thoughtfully. How would she be able to find the blonde in this small town? It shouldn't be too hard. Bill was usually where innocent people were, and intended to cause trouble.

"Say, Dipper," Mabel asked, "if you were Bill, where would you go to cause trouble?"

Dipper shuddered in disgust of imagining himself being that dream-demon. But he answered lazily, "Anywhere?"

He hoped she'd realize this wasn't going to be easy. But she only cheered, "Brilliant! See, this is why I need you."

They started off at the Gravity Falls Mall. Hundreds of citizens walked back and forth between stores, ignorant to any potential inconveniences. This place was the perfect start!

"Alright, Dip-turd," She pumped her fist, "Let's get going!"

The twins entered Antique Emporium. All these pricey collector's items were just begging to be destroyed! Bill wouldn't be able to resist!

Mabel searched around the store, occasionally knocking down an item without a care. Dipper followed behind her and caught them before they hit the ground. He placed them back in their spots and tried to scold her. But his sister caught sight of something yellow, and grinned. As she ran across the tiled floor, her elbow hit a podium. The fancy vase atop wobbled and teetered, before falling dramatically. Dipper yelped and dove for it, catching the vase before it smash to pieces.

Mabel turned the corner excitedly, only to find it was a neon yellow couch. She groaned and went back to her brother.

Dipper carefully set the vase on the podium, before standing back to admire his work. Suddenly, he was grabbed by his collar and was being dragged away from the vase. Mabel brushed by the podium again, and he was forced to watch as the vase crashed into smaller fragments.

"Nooo!" The male twin shouted, but Mabel paid no mind. They exited the store to look for another one to investigate. She made a sound of success as they went inside a different store.

"Oh, Build-A-Beaver," Mabel inhaled deeply, "The place where any child can make a new friend."

"Yeah right, the prices are ridiculous." Dipper snorted from below her. Mabel released him to go from machine to machine, trying to see if Bill was hiding between them. Some parents looked at her weirdly while their kids filled the empty sacks of animals with stuffing. She didn't look back at them. There were better things to be searching for!

"You really think he'd be here?" Dipper crossed his arms as she already went through the whole store twice. Bill had to be here somewhere! There were several problems that he could cause. The dream-demon could set the best looking toys on fire! Or worst, like taking away one of the buttons on their costumes! Or maybe he was in the stuffing.

Mabel ran to one of the beavers that were displayed on the window and viciously ripped it open. However, he wasn't there. Dipper was horrified to hear crying from the other side of the window as a father pulled his child away from the store. The employee and a few parents scowled at him, and he sheepishly smiled back.

Just as Mabel was about to rip open another one, Dipper grabbed her from underneath her arms and pulled her out of the store. He calmed her down with, "I don't think he's in there. Let's try somewhere else."

"Oh, oh!" She bounced on her feet, forgetting her murderous intent, "I have another place in mind!"

Her brother grinned nervously as the parents and employees were still glaring at them from inside, "Great! Let's go!"

Despite his earlier encouragement, Dipper's face was pale as they ended up in front of a well-known store. 'Elizabeth's Mystery' was above the glass doors in cursive letters. His voice cracked, "Uh, Mabel, maybe this isn't so great."

"Geez, where did your enthusiasm go?"

"The same place where my dignity is," He replied dryly. As he turned to leave, she grabbed him by his vest collar.

"Come on, Dippingsauce!" The male twin was forced inside the store. Mabel dragged him around, but was struggling more as he tried to loosen her grip.

"Ugh, you're slowing me down!" His sister plopped him beside one of the stores' products. She was gone before he could stop her. Dipper looked around apprehensively, before jumping back appalled. He had sat right next to a shelf of lacy underwear!

The unfortunate male accidentally bumped into a rack of suggestive bras, causing a few females in the store to look over at him. His face burned red as he staggered away, trying to conceal himself from their muffled chuckles and curious stares. Where was his sister in this forsaken store?!

Smooth jazz lightly played in the background. Dipper surveyed the posters and images hanging around the walls of very pretty models. He brought his observations down from the walls, and saw pink, red, black and white. Lace, string, and velvet made all of these articles of clothing. To his displeasure, he noticed the surprisingly… big sizes of some of them. His face was a white sheet as sweat shot down his face. Did some women really have that big of a… eugh!

"Dipper!"

"AH!" The male twin stumbled back, but Mabel swiftly grabbed him before he fell onto a shelf of women's underwear. She barely realized his obvious discomfort in the store.

"I'm starting to think he isn't in this mall…" Mabel frowned. Dipper frantically nodded, "Yeah, I think so too!"

He tightened the hold between their hands and hastily led her outside of the mall. He panted pathetically and wiped his hands on the ground in disgust.

"I saw my childhood die before my eyes!" He cried to no one in particular. Passing bystanders eyed him warily, but didn't confront.

Mabel tapped her foot as she wondered if there were other places they could search through. It was better that they aimlessly wander for now. Dipper begrudgingly followed his sister as they ventured through the town.

"What about here?" They stopped in front of a simple-looking building with a wooden sign atop.

"The library?" Dipper questioned, "What would he be doing here?"

"Well, several things!" The twins entered the building. There was a nice, quiet atmosphere as various citizens were captivated by their books. As they went up and down the aisles of books, archives, and documents alike, she quietly explained to him, "He could be setting a lot of these things on fire. Or he could be taking the books that people are searching for. Or he could be telling someone how they kill trees just to read these things. Trouble can come pretty easily when you think about it, or if he's there."

She put a hand to her mouth and snickered, while Dipper was stunned as to why she knew so many ways people could get problems. Mabel was currently going between each book, as if he would somehow be hiding in there. Her twin sighed and shook his head, "Mabel, he's not here."

"What if he is? What if we missed him?"

"Then we'd see him! But we're not seeing him, so he isn't here!"

"Where would he be then?!"

"I don't know!"

A loud shushing came from behind them. The twins turned and saw the librarian with a finger over her lip, glaring at the two. Then, Mabel frowned, "Okay, let's go somewhere else."

As they strolled through town square, Dipper saw the brisk steps his sister would take in front of him. She was getting annoyed, for sure. But she tried her best not to let it show. He frowned, why was this whole eyepatch thing so important to her?

"No need to fuss!" She abruptly stopped on her heels and turned around to face her brother. "There are so many more places in this town, we'll find him for sure!"

"Like, the Gravity Falls Bowling Alley!" Failed.

"What about the pool?" Nope.

"How about the Museum of History!?" Not there, either.

"The karaoke place!"

"The w-water tower?!" She hesitantly looked up at it, before pulling Dipper away.

"The dance studio!"

"The retirement home!"

"The maximum prison!" He turned her around.

"In my head?"

"The cemetery!"

"Greasy's Diner!"

"The abandoned grocery store–" Dipper turned his sister around once again.

Mabel breathed heavily while Dipper casually stood behind her. They ended up back at town square. She sat down on the fountain and looked around, before laughing sadly, "Talk about back to square one."

Her brother sat beside her, and she sighed, "I was really curious what was underneath that eyepatch…"

The female twin's head drooped dejectedly, much to Dipper's chagrin. He placed a comforting hand on her back, and nearly missed her whisper, "What if something bad happened to him?"

Dipper refrained from smacking himself. Of course! The first meeting between the blonde and his sister was while he was injured, afterall. The four month absence had her worried sick. To her displeasure, they hadn't seen Bill at all ever since their last encounter. That "lesson" was less than helpful for him, but it shouldn't had scared away the dream-demon. She just needed some kind of excuse to make sure he was okay.

Dipper planted his feet down with a new resolution. He was going to find Bill and make sure that he would pass by her, or something! He turned around to his downcasted sister who was swinging her feet against the fountain. Well, at least she would be too distracted to get herself in trouble.

He skimmed through all the buildings that they had already been through, hoping to somehow find him. Inhabitants would back away from the brunette as he ravaged through the areas. However, no luck. The male twin stopped by the town square fountain to check on his sister. She hadn't moved an inch.

In desperation, Dipper also explored the surrounding forests. Birds were singing and trees were dancing in the breeze. He groaned in frustration, "What am I even doing here?"

"Good question, what's the naive little Pine Tree doing here?" An all too familiar voice spoke from above him. Dipper looked up, and saw Bill hanging on the tree branch. Ignoring his insulting adjective, the brunette pointed to the ground, "Get down here, Bill."

The dream-demon only rolled his eyes, "Why? It's comfy up here."

"I wanna make a deal." Right as he finished that statement, the blonde disappeared and reappeared before the male twin. Dipper held his stand as Bill smirked, "Oh, may I ask why?"

"My sister is upset, and I need you to go… in front of her, or something! Just make sure she notices you." Well, that's an odd reason. Bill inquired, "Why am I involved with this?"

"She thinks you're dead." Dipper nearly fell back at the dream-demon's sudden outburst of laughter.

"M-Me? Dead? As if!"

Bill sighed and wiped a tear from his eye while placing his elbow on Dipper's shoulder. The male twin immediately pushed it off him, "No, really. She's been searching through the whole town thinking you were giving trouble to some of the people."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Well, terrorizing children's toys, burning books, destroying antiques."

Bill crossed his arms with an accusing glare, "I already did all of that! Are you sure she isn't stalking me?! 'Cause that's my job!"

"What?" Dipper was taken aback, "You already did—oh, whatever! Will you just do it or not?!"

"Do what?"

"Go say hi to Mabel or something!"

"Hmm," Bill pursed his lips in thought, before shrugging, "Sure, I'll do it."

"Yes!"

"But in return," Bill grinned mischievously, "you'll have to wear something that I have in mind while walking through town."

Dipper pursed his lips, contemplating for a moment. But as long as this would make his sister happy, he'd do it.

"Alright, alright, so if you can get her to notice you and then make her smile, I'll wear your dumb whatever! Deal?" Dipper clarified. Bill held his flaming hand out, "Deal!"

This should be a piece of cake! All he had to do was make sure she saw him, then she'd be sure to smile! And afterwards, her brother would be embarrassed with the outfit as he walked through town! It's not like he cared or anything… but he gets to see Shooting Star happy and Pine Tree's humiliation! What a deal!

Dipper hid from afar as Bill fixed himself up. The blonde walked over to the slouching girl, and cleared his throat. Mabel, however, didn't bother to look up. The dream-demon tapped her shoulder, but it didn't help. He poked her head and tugged her hair, yet to no avail.

He scrunched his face in thought, before floating behind the girl. He made sure to avoid contact with the fountain water. Bill covered her eyes with his hands and grinned, "Guess who?"

That did it! Mabel lifted her head almost instantly, "Bill?"

"Yep!" Said boy went in front of her, but frowned when he saw her face. She wasn't smiling, but her eyes softened in recognition. She sighed in relief, "So you are okay…"

"Of course I am!" Bill looked offended, "How dare you doubt me!"

He pointed a finger in her face, but she just swatted it away. The blonde inwardly scowled, if she didn't smile, then he couldn't humiliate Pine Tree. And plus, this was really disturbing him. He set himself next to her and crossed his legs. He awkwardly began with, "So, what have you been doing today?"

"Looking for you."

"Oh."

"Yeah…"

Bill grit his teeth. The air was too tense and uncomfortable! Why was she being like this?! And how was he supposed to make her smile? He literally did the exact opposite when it came to people!

"Listen, Shooting Star." Bill turned to her, and she looked up at him and tilted her head curiously. He gulped at her brown doe eyes.

"Yes?" Mabel responded.

"Is there anything I can do that can make you… smile?" He questioned bluntly. I mean, he didn't see a reason to beat around the bush. And he wasn't really that good with it, either. The female twin was surprised by his question. But she twiddled her fingers and looked away shyly. "It's weird, though..."

The blonde rolled his eyes, "You're weird, Shooting Star. So it doesn't matter."

She bit her lip, and Bill struggled to look away, "I want to know what's under your eyepatch."

The dream-demon was momentarily stunned to hear that, but this was Mabel, afterall. He arched an eyebrow at her, "And this'll get you to smile?"

She nodded, and he looked around, "Fine, but this is a secret among the greatest of secrets. Don't tell anyone."

He grinned from ear to ear, and Mabel felt herself getting more excited. They both leaned forward, leaving Dipper to his imagination as he had no idea what they were doing. Bill looked down at her, and he realized just how taller he was than her. Which was weird, since he's had this body since forever.

His fingers slowly lifted his eyepatch, and Mabel's eyes were sparkling in anticipation. She gasped at the glorious sight. It was beyond her expectations! It was magnificent! It was extraordinary!

"Remember," Bill smirked as he placed his eyepatch back to it's original place. He placed a finger over his lips, "it's a secret."

Mabel didn't respond, though. She was too busy smiling joyfully. Her curiosity had finally been satiated, and a lot better than what she had originally thought!

"Thanks, Bill!" She beamed at him, "But, why did you need me to smile?"

He waved his hand dismissively. He definitely did not think she had a really nice smile. Whoever believes that he thinks that is a fool, an absolute fool! He replied, "Just a few personal reasons. Also, you're brother is gonna be busy for a bit."

"Huh? Why?"

"Well-deserved consequences, Shooting Star." He was still grinning as he glanced to the horrified Dipper in the distance. Mabel puffed her cheeks, "Okay then, I'll see you around!"

"What?" He was perplexed, she intended to see him more? This again?! Suddenly, he was engulfed in a short hug. Bill found himself staring as she skipped away gleefully. Shaking his head profusely, he floated towards the male brunette with the same arrogant grin.

"I did my part, Pine Tree," Bill cackled, "Are you ready for yours?"

Dipper gulped as he vanished, before popping up with a costume in hand. Oh no…

Pacifica yawned as she strolled on the sidewalk above the river bank. The sun was setting graciously, its rays of light were vibrant and beautiful. There was a light breeze that cut through the grass blades, making waves of green. There was barely anyone around, which was a bit odd.

Unexpectedly, she spotted a figure appear in the distance. Pacifica's face was emotionless as she stood across from Dipper. His face clearly read 'kill me now.'

He was wearing a quaint lamb outfit, with the white fleece and golden bell. She had no idea why he was wearing it, or why she was still staring at him. Dipper only stared back, his face was blooming a bright red. Pacifica blinked, and he blinked as well.

A stifled giggle came from the blonde.

"Did you just laugh?!" Dipper yelled at her incredulously. She shook her head hard, but failed to hold back another chuckle. The male twin held his face in his hands and dashed past her. She only turned slightly to gaze at his retreating back. Pacifica smiled to herself, before continuing on her way.

* * *

 **I'm done. What did I just write. Because IT WAS TOO CUTE!**

 **ANYWAYS, I HOPE YOU LIKED THIS CHAPTER! UNTIL NEXT TIME!**

 **Pce!**


	16. Chapter 16

**WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW FOR WEIRDMAGGEDON 2 (I GUESS?)**

 **I watched Weirdmaggedon part 2. I loved it. I love love loved it. I loved that Mabel had a bed designed from sleeping beauty and was holding a rose. I loved the sibling relationship between Dipper and Mabel and their memories because they were so so so cute. And I loved how Pacifica was still wearing uggs (AND THAT SHE AND DIPPER HAVE A CHANCE OF INTERACTING IN PART 3)**

 **Also!:**

 **Mabel wears the same variety of sweaters for different occasions and such, but the shooting star sweater is her favorite. (You can guess why.)**

 **I realized I've been spelling discreet as discrete, my bad. I'll edit all my chapters with that word when it is used incorrectly.**

 **And here we are! New arc starts… now?!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

"What?"

"You heard me, Pacifica," Preston glared down at his only daughter, "Under no circumstances will you even interact with the Pines."

The blonde kept a poker face, but she was already upset. Now that she was older, she became fully aware of the wrong teachings from her parents. Which caused the twelve-year-old to become more against her parents' dictations. But of course, she would still have to follow them anyways. She asked, "Why?"

"In the past few weeks, people are actually starting to get suspicious that you didn't fight that Gleeful monster boy alone. They're making crazy theories and analysis on the media! Honestly, some of those buffoons have no lives whatsoever." Pacifica looked at him in disbelief and turned to her mother, who provided no help.

Her father pinched his nose briskly, "We can't have you carelessly supporting them by going out and about. Now, there shouldn't be a problem, it's not like you have any kind of connection with them."

"Sure," Pacifica responded with an undertone of sarcasm. He was slightly right, she wasn't officially acquainted with any of the Pines. But no matter, she was getting tired of being told who she could or couldn't speak with.

"Young ladies do not use sass against their own parents! Especially us." Her mother put her hands on her hips and scowled.

The blonde tried to fake an apologetic look as convincing as possible in her current mood, "I'm sorry."

She noticed in the corner of her eye that the maids and butlers were peeking around the corner to observe the scene. Some of them fled in fear of getting caught. The headmistress didn't mind, they usually did this when they could every time Preston reprimanded her. And plus, it's her parents' fault for deciding to speak to her in the middle of their main room.

The older man continued, "Do you even know why we can't have it known that those Pines peasants had… helped you?"

He began to pace back and forth along the marble floor. Pacifica reluctantly listened to him as he kept speaking, "You're supposed to be the 'amazing' headmistress of the Gravity Falls Soap Fighters academy."

"Soul." She corrected.

Her father ignored her. She discreetly glared at him as he spoke, "And you are also the Northwest heiress, reputation is important! Don't you already know this? Haven't you learned anything that we taught you?! At least, you remember how to stay being the best above all those commoners!"

"How could I forget?" Pacifica hissed calmly.

"Fine," Preston stopped in front of her and leaned down, "say it with me, now."

Pacifica stifled the urge to roll her eyes. She monotonously spoke along with her father, "The best doesn't stop herself for someone else."

"Oh good, I was worried we'd have to waste even more time reteaching you the appropriate mindset. Though, I must do say so myself, we did a pretty good job with it in the earlier days." Preston and her mother haughtily laughed as they exited the room. The workers of the mansion dispersed from their hiding spots, leaving Pacifica alone in the main room. It wasn't long until they all heard a loud bang from the grand doors.

"Ugh, one day she'll break those doors down." Her mother sighed in displeasure.

"Stupid rebellious phases, you give them one thing they want, and now then want everything." Preston mumbled back at her.

Pacifica strode her way back to her school. She passed by citizens, who backed away in fright of her dark expression. But she was currently occupied, her thoughts were a raging storm.

Of course she knew that 'she was the best.' It was practically drilled inside her head, along with other dumb standards. But if she had the free will to forget them, she would. And her parents knew that, too. There was a reason she was under Pavlovian conditioning, the headmistress loathed to herself.

Training her from a young age to learn these types of things would be counted as child abuse when recalling what she went through. But, what was she to do? Her parents were one of the richest in the country. That was only thanks to her great-great-grandfather for founding the town.

Her parents could easily buy themselves out of the trouble, or any kind of trouble, without hesitation. It's not like they cared what happened to anyone else anyways. They've surely never even cared about their own daughter. Although, even after everything they've thrown at her, all she really wanted was her parents' love and affection.

That was why she achieved the position of the headmistress. It took a lot of convincing to her parents so she could try out. Her determination to prove her worth brought her in that rank. But in the end, they only looked down upon her choice and her new attitude. She didn't grow up to be the mindless doll that they could show off like they wanted. Her parents resented that she developed the need to protect everyone in Gravity Falls. But, even though the citizens were terrified of her wrath, at least they still appreciated her work.

As Pacifica made her way back to the academy, she realized her surroundings were a bit different. She looked around in disgust at the themed decor that was spread throughout town. Red and pink hearts, balloons, chocolate, sales, everything and anything relating to… Valentine's Day.

It wasn't even the holiday yet, but the citizens decided to go crazy with the decorations! That loony old mayor let them, too. In just a few days, people would be expressing their undying love for eachother and whatnot. Hearts were sure to be broken, money would be wasted, and tears will be shed.

Pacifica stuck her tongue out in distaste, before continuing her path.

She made it back to the academy without a hitch. The headmistress was glad to see her school lacked the same holiday spirit as the rest of the town. Well, it always lacked holiday spirit. And she liked to keep it that way.

The blonde checked on her students' progression. The younger ones were growing well. And the older ones were still keeping up against the sudden increase of the sprouts of darkness. She frowned, there still hasn't been a reason why this was happening. Before the breakout, it would usually be a few that turned up every month or so. The adult Soul Fighters handled it easily. Now, it seemed a few turned up every day. This forced a demand for more fighters to aid in defending the helpless. So even teenagers, such as the ones from her academy, were fighting for survival.

Hours passed, and the bell rung throughout the school. Large amounts of the various kids left joyfully. While dismissal was occurring, McGucket was rummaging inside his storage room located in his lab. Soos peeked inside, "What're you doing, sir?"

"Just a little bit of early spring cleaning!" The older man carried out a box full of junk and dust. He set it down beside the door after closing his storage room. While his mentor was dusting himself off, Soos couldn't help but look at some of the items in the box. There seemed to be a lot of small gadgets with cool features, and one item in particular caught his eye.

"Um, if you aren't gonna use these anymore, can I take it?" Soos asked McGucket, who waved him off, "Yes, go ahead!"

"Thanks, sir!" Soos picked up the box of objects and prepared to leave, "Have a good day!"

"You too, Soos!" McGucket called from behind him.

He arrived at his house in no time, and greeted his grandmother lovingly. He placed the box in his room for later. His stomach felt like it was eating itself! Just as he was about to enter the kitchen for a snack, Abuelita stopped him, "Just a minute, mijo. I have a letter from your cousin, Reggie."

The middle aged man took it from her hand curiously, and read the contents. His grandmother stared at him with anticipation. There was a brief moment of silence, before he exclaimed, "What?! He's getting married next month?"

Abuelita didn't flinch from his sudden outburst. She sighed happily, "Yes, he's grown up so fast."

The old woman looked distant as she lost herself in memories. But she snapped out of it when Soos laughed, "Yeah, it all seems so fast. I still remember the letters we would exchange with each other."

She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, much to his confusion. Abuelita spoke warmly, "I don't want to pressure you too much, mijo, but I don't know how many more days I'll have left on Earth. Someday, I'd like to see you meet a nice girl who I know will treat you right, before I ascend to heaven."

She was gazing sincerely into his eyes, and Soos felt himself tear up. For the longest time, no one was there for him except for his grandmother. Thanks to her, he was able to have a better life. She always tried to put himself first in front of everything. He could at least try to fulfill her wishes.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm sure I can meet someone in, like, seven days. In fact, I'll start now!" Soos declared. His grandmother gently smiled at him, before shooing him away. As the apprentice walked away from his home, gears started to turn in his head. All he had to do to get a girl was… something good.

No, that didn't seem right. He tried again. Girls liked it when guys… did stuff.

Soos groaned into his hands, "What did I just agree myself to?"

He barely knew anything about getting a girl! Heck, he didn't even know what girls are like! But, then again, he brought this upon himself. His childhood days were spent travelling the country to find his father, while Abuelita was his guardian. He never stopped himself to try something else because all he focused on was searching for his absent dad.

However, his grandmother knew that this would be terrible for him. So she had revealed to him later on that his father was nothing but a neglectful dead beat. She didn't want to see him rot away trying to find someone who didn't want to be found. And long story short, Gravity Falls was his home.

Suddenly, he heard the tuneless singing from a young girl, then a cry. "AAH! My sweater! I can't get out!"

Soos rushed to the source, only to find two young brunettes. One male kid and one female kid, both of them were near the fence. The female currently had a wire hooked under her turtleneck as she tried to struggle out of it. But she froze when she realized that it could tear her sweater. Oh no, this was her absolute favorite one! It was irreplaceable!

The young male had an alarmed expression when his sister began to form brimming tears and trembling lips dramatically. Before Soos could speak, the boy summoned a sword in his hand and raised it up with a battle cry. He would destroy that wire for making his sister extremely sad!

"Wait!" Soos ran in front of the boy with his arms outstretched. The wielder only furrowed his eyebrows, still holding his sword above his head, "Who are you?"

He shook his head, "Nevermind! Get out of the way so I can rescue my sister!"

Soos turned to the girl briefly, who was now sobbing hysterically. She hiccuped, "My amazing neck will be sliced and my precious sweater will be ruined! Everything is awful forever!"

He hastily turned back to the boy, "No way dude, that's too excessive! Trust me, let me handle it."

The male brunette lowered his sword as Soos skillfully pulled out a pliers from his tool belt. He watched as the middle aged man swiftly cut the wire, and cautiously took the hook from under her turtleneck. The girl examined her clothing as much as she could without taking it off her body, but it seemed fine. The sweater and her were both unharmed!

Soos twirled the pliers before tossing it in the air, only for the tool to land perfectly in its correct spot on his belt.

"You saved me!" The girl whooped, no trace of tears on her face. The boy beamed up at him, but then asked, "Wait, who are you again?"

"Jesus Ramirez, but just call me Soos. It's great to meet you dudes." He shook both of their hands, "You guys seem pretty rad, what's your names?"

"I'm Dipper Pines, and this is my sister Mabel," He pointed to himself and to his sister, who gave a friendly wave. Soos was taken aback, "Whoa, are you related to the Stans Pines twins?"

"Why, yes we are! We also happen to be twins ourselves, isn't that neat!" Mabel grinned, and Soos grinned back at them. But abruptly, he heard his stomach growl. He turned red in embarrassment and excused himself, "Sorry guys, I was just heading out to go grab a bite. I'll see you some other time?"

"Oh, wait!" Mabel caught onto his jacket before he could leave, "Is there anything we can do to repay you?"

Soos was a bit puzzled why they would offer him anything just for saving her sweater. Although, this might be his chance to solve his predicament. He hummed in thought until he inquired, "I know this might seem weird, but do you know anything about love?"

"Yes!"

"No."

Mabel and Dipper said simultaneously. Her eyes were starry as Dipper had a deadpan expression. Soos darted his eyes between the two of them, not knowing who to look at. But he suggested, "Well, can we talk about this over some food? Maybe like, Greasy's Diner?"

"Excellent! Let's go Dipper!" The twins followed the apprentice as they made their way towards the diner. There was a unanimous agreement between them that they were all going to be great friends.

"So, what's the situation?" Mabel interrogated between bites of her meal. Soos swallowed before answering, "Well, my cousin's getting engaged, and so my grandmother wants me to meet a girl and stuff. I don't know how, though! But I don't want to let her down."

"I see, I see," The female twin nodded her head along. Dipper just ate silently as he observed how his sister would go about this.

"Let me ask a few questions so I can evaluate how much work we'll need." She stated. Soos wiped his mouth quickly as she sat up straighter. The female brunette began firing questions at him, to which he responded efficiently.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-two."

"When were you born?"

"July 13, 1990."

"Who do you live with?"

"My grandmother, Abuelita."

"What do you do for a living?"

"I work at the Gravity Falls Soul Fighters Academy, and I'm an apprentice of a well-known engineer."

"Hmm, good." Mabel puckered her lips and nodded. She was apparently writing something down on the children's menu with a yellow crayon. Dipper peeked over her shoulder, and it read 'Mabell Mabul Mahbel Mebel.'

He shot her a look of incredulity, but she failed to notice. The female twin looked up and smiled at Soos, "Alright, so you basically have your future set because the status quo isn't that bad."

"Now to begin with the real questions!" She set the crayon down and intertwined her fingers. The young girl rested her chin on her hands as she threw more questions his way.

"What do you do when a girl is mad?"

"Oh, uh," A difficult question right off the bat, it seemed. He racked his brain for a logical answer, "I'll tell her she has issues!"

Mabel and Dipper shared a look, before she slowly started again, "Okay... where would you go for dates?"

This one was easier. "The Hoo-Ha Owl's Pizzamatronic Jamboree!"

Dipper cocked an eyebrow, "Isn't that a place for kids' parties?"

"Yeah, why?" Soos turned to Dipper, who only shook his head dismissively.

"Anyways," Mabel continued, "the biggest question yet! How would you treat a girl?"

"Well, my grandmother would tell me with lots of love and respect. And also gifts."

"Alright, that's all I need!" Mabel sat back in her seat and closed her eyes. She seemed deep in thought. Soos looked to Dipper for some kind of explanation, but the boy only shrugged. Abruptly, Mabel slammed her fist on the table, shocking both males. The other customers paid no mind.

"Soos, I'll give it to you straight." She pointed a finger at him, and he sweated nervously. "You don't have the money or the looks, but you do have the heart. And the right girl for you will always go for that heart."

Mabel smiled widely, showing off her shiny braces, "Let's go find that girl!"

"What? Right now?" Dipper asked, and she rolled her eyes.

"Uh, duh!" She slapped a random amount of cash onto the table, probably overpaying for their meal. The female brunette grabbed them both and started to pull them towards a different location. As she was, Soos started up a neat little conversation with Dipper, "Isn't it strange that she has braces but you don't?"

Dipper replied nonchalantly, "Well, that's what she gets for being born five minutes ahead of me. Jacked up teeth that needs metal to look pretty."

Suddenly, Dipper bumped into a fire hydrant. He whined in pain as they were forced to keep moving. Mabel retorted, "Oh, sorry Dipper. My jacked up teeth was blocking my vision."

"I'm joking, I'm joking," He grunted out. His sister only smirked in front of them, "I'm sure you were."

Before he could say anything back, they were already at their destination. She dropped their hands to showcase the large building.

"This place again…" Dipper grumbled. Soos was perplexed, "The Gravity Falls Mall?"

"Yep! Full of single and not-so-single ladies for the picking! It's perfect!" She gestured with her hands, before leading them inside.

Soos tentatively examined all of the women that were minding their own business, walking here and there. The young girl seemed to have trouble deciding on which one to pick. So, the male twin surveyed amongst them, and spotted a random female to try on first. He nudged his sister while subtly pointing towards the lady. She grinned in agreement.

Mabel tapped the middle aged man's arm and indicated towards the woman. He only looked at the woman worriedly, so Mabel reassuringly patted his arm, "Let's start with her! I'll give you some tips and advice as you work your way through it."

"Um, can I have some starter ones?"

"Sure! Girls like a good conversation and a nice sense of humor!" She went behind and pushed his back, "Now, go try it!"

Dipper and Mabel hid somewhere nearby as he gulped. Pulling on his collar, he marched over to the woman, almost robot-like. He cleared his throat harshly, "It's Soos, meet you is nice."

"What?" She looked at him weirdly.

"Let us talk about the nice weather we are having today?"

"I don't understand…" The woman began to back away cautiously. Soos felt himself panicking.

"Jokes! What do you call a three humped camel?!" He started to raise his voice, scaring the woman.

"Why are you doing this to me?!"

"PREGNANT!"

The woman shrieked and fled, leaving Soos by himself. Dipper was stunned while Mabel clicked her tongue, "This may take more work than I had originally thought."

Soos had a downcast expression as he walked towards the twins. Mabel frowned, "Aw, cheer up! It wasn't that bad, you can't be as terrible as my brother!"

"Yeah!" Dipper paused, "Wait, what?"

"Just keep trying until you find the one!" Mabel smiled brightly at the apprentice, to which he mustered up his own. But suddenly, there was a shout, "HEY!"

All three of them, along with some bystanders, turned to an older, muscular guy. He furiously pointed at Soos, "Were you the one who threatened my wife?!"

"Yes, he's the one!" The woman clung to his arm and shied away behind his back. The bystanders looked at Soos accusingly, to which he tried to shrink himself from their stares.

"Threatened, what?!" Dipper choked out a laugh, "He didn't threaten her!"

"Yeah, I was just trying to flirt with her!" Soos backed up. Both Dipper and Mabel slapped their palms against their faces as the husband glowered at them, "Oh, you're in for it now, buddy!"

"We can try later. For now, let's run!" Mabel told him swiftly. Soos nodded, and all three of them made a run from the enraged man. They were destined to be great friends, indeed.

* * *

 **And there we have it!**

 **I just felt like there needs to be even more various major character interactions! And another exposition for the new arc. Character development is also very precious. Yes, yes, yes!**

 **Valentine's Day is coming up *whistles***

 **Rewritten: 8/21/17**

 **That's all, really. Until next chapter!**


	17. Chapter 17

**KittyCat151: THANK YOU AND THANK YOU AND I SHOULD MENTION, THANK YOU!**

 **SailorCardKnight: AH! WELCOME! Thank you for your feedback, and yes, I may be small, but I have BIG PLANS. *creepy face***

 **Thanks to not only the people right above me, but also to everyone who stays on this majestic journey with me!**

 **By the way, in case anyone was wondering, this AU was made by me! As far as I know, soul fighters isn't an actual thing. But again, it is loosely based on other powers and stuff from different shows.**

 **Oh! And another thing, I'll be drawing my own cover image for this story! I'll be trying to make it look really nice but at the same time I'll try to finish it quickly.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

Mabel clapped her hands and smiled, "Alright Soos! New day, new chances! Let's continue from yesterday."

It was late in the afternoon again, just after school had ended. The twins and Soos had met up at the Gravity Falls Mall to continue with their quest. There were various young ladies roaming the stores, presumably since Valentine's Day was nearing. Soos gulped; he had to find a nice, cute girl quickly before or on the holiday. Plus, it was only appropriate for the upcoming date.

Dipper also smiled, "But from now on, we should look out for rings on women's fingers."

"Good call," Soos nodded along with Mabel. She put her hand over her eyes and examined the female inhabitants of the mall. "Okay, Soos, I say this and you do that."

"What?"

"Just try your best to follow my advice." Mabel began, "Women like to be right, so agree with them a lot."

Soos wandered the clothing store, until he caught the sight of a young lady who seemed unhappy. She was holding a dress in her hands. He went over to her and said, "Well, you seem like you need help."

She looked up, "Oh, you must be one of the store employees."

"You're right!" Soos confirmed.

"I want to try on this dress, but I don't have anyone to check it out from another view. Can you stay and tell me how it looks?"

"Absolutely."

"Great!" The woman went inside the dressing room. Soos patiently waited outside, while tapping his foot and patting his knee. He could hear the sound of clothes rustling and struggled grunts. Then she exited the stall, the dress apparent on her body. Soos was astounded as his jaw dropped, she looked beautiful!

The woman sheepishly smiled, "I don't know, I think I look fat. What do you think?"

And then, there was his mistake, "You're right."

Dipper and Mabel winced at the red hand mark that was glowing on their older friend's face. But she spoke quickly, not wanting to discourage him. "Always be interested in what they have to say!"

The apprentice roamed around the movie store. He absent-mindedly checked out some of the DVDs, but without the intention of actually buying anything. Unexpectedly, a woman came up to him while he was holding a movie to his face.

"Wow, do you watch animated films, too? I love them! I can't wait for this upcoming one."

Soos nodded his head along with what the pretty woman was saying. Although, he wasn't actually sure what she was talking about. Something about a movie with a fox and bunny? And they were absolutely cute? But whatever, he had to keep up an intrigued expression. Maybe he could spice it up with a little bit of his own charm? Ever so slowly, he leaned closer. The lady halted her speech as she noticed he was invading her personal space by way too much. She hesitantly asked, "What are you doing?"

His breath hit her face as his eyes stared deep into hers, as if he saw her soul. Soos whispered, "I find you… interesting."

Well, that failed, too. Mabel moved onto another suggestion, "Try being a gentleman, help a lady out."

Soos spotted yet another appealing woman, who was struggling to open the door of the store as she carried shopping bags. He ran over to her and held it open. She smiled at him, "Thank you."

"Uh, here, I'll help you out." He took her bags and began to walk beside her. Suddenly, another woman popped up, also holding shopping bags. The two ladies exchanged greetings until she noticed him standing there, "Oh hey, did you get yourself a butler? He's pretty weirdly dressed for one."

"No, but I think he's, like, a shop usher or something," The woman responded. The other female gasped, "Whoa, that's awesome. Here, take mine!"

Soos found himself carrying at least ten different shopping bags from various other women. Mabel and Dipper cringed as he tripped on his feet, spilling the contents onto the floor.

She shook her head profusely. She refused to give up!

"Wear a mask of confidence like it's your face!"

"Compliment a girl on her looks."

"Support her in every way possible! No, Soos! Not like that!"

"Girls like smart guys! Try striking up an intille— intelil—"

"Intelligent," Dipper cut in.

"—conversation."

"Got it," Soos spotted one woman of the many to start on. He was an apprentice of an amazing engineer, he knew his stuff! The middle aged man narrowed his eyes, "Get ready to eat my inteligance."

"Intelligence," Dipper corrected.

The apprentice strolled over to where the young woman was standing. She was leaning against the wall while seemingly browsing through her phone. The lady was wearing what appeared to be very expensive clothes, probably designer. But her face read boredom. Soos cleared his throat, causing her to look up at him.

He leaned next to her while attempting a charming smirk, which actually looked like he was suffering unbearable pain. The woman saw it as a joke, and chuckled, "What's up?"

"I see you're using a cellular device," Soos exaggerated his enunciation. The woman looked at the object in her hand, and back to him, "Yeah, I guess you can say that."

"Well," Soos informed her, "do you know that some cell phones can cause brain cancer from the radiation they emit?"

The smile on the woman's face faltered, and she asked, "What?"

"Crystal communicators are better since they are radiation free and work as good as a cell phone without all the technology."

"Are you trying to sell me something? Or are you debating me?" The woman stuffed her phone in her pocket as she had her full attention on him now.

"I'm just saying that it would be better if we changed from phones to crystal communicators."

"Yeah, but they're crazy expensive because it's hard to obtain." The woman answered back rudely, "Only Soul Fighter students and others get them for free."

"That's why we should be more invested in the crystals than the phones so it will be easier to mine." Soos began to speak normally, but a bit more serious.

"Um, what?" The woman cocked and eyebrow, "Mining is dangerous. A lot of people can die during the process or from its effects. You want them to die trying to get this one thing when we already have something else?"

"No way, dude! Who'd want that?"

"Well, obviously you." She rolled her eyes at him, and muttered, "Idiot."

He scowled, "It isn't always underground, it can be found deep in the forest with the mystical creatures."

"Which are also just as bad. I mean, haven't you heard of demons and monsters and stuff?"

"Of course I have!"

"Doesn't seem like it."

Dipper couldn't stop Mabel from rushing in. She abruptly interjected into their heated conversation, "HEY!"

The woman and Soos looked down at her in confusion. The young girl only beamed up at the middle aged man, "I've been looking for you, older brother of mine!"

"This is your sister?" The woman arched an eyebrow. Mabel discreetly nudged Soos to play along, who did so reluctantly.

"Ha ha, yep!" Soos awkwardly laughed. Mabel slightly stuck her tongue out and did a peace sign as her greeting. The woman scoffed, "Of course, she's probably as much of an imbecile as you are. Who tries to argue with someone that's obviously smarter?"

For a split second, Mabel's face was visibly shocked. She felt herself become irked that her friend was insulted. But she changed back to a bright grin. "Well, aren't you nice! We'll be on our way, now."

The female twin grabbed Soos and turned to leave. Dipper caught up with them to ask how it went, seeing the different expressions they had. However, the woman still had one thing left to say.

"Yeah, sure," The lady sneered, "By the way, you should rethink your fashion choices, that sweater is hideous. The colors trailing behind the star don't even match."

Mabel stopped in her tracks completely. Soos was puzzled as Dipper worriedly went in front of his sister. She had a darkened expression with glossy eyes. It almost looked as if she was about to cry, or she was trying to conceal her anger.

"Mabel?" He received no response. He glanced to the older female behind them. The male twin felt his skin prick with rage as she smirked arrogantly at them. But he was taken aback when his sister closed her eyes and exhaled deeply.

"It's not worth it, Dipper," She told him. That's funny, because he wouldn't let this go so easily. He only gave her questioning look, "It's totally worth it."

"Dipper, wait!" It was already too late. He had his mind set on taking revenge. The woman looked down at him, clearly unconcerned.

"What, little boy? Are you gonna hit me?" She taunted, "I hope you know that you can't hit girls."

"She's got a point dude, just let it go!" Soos called. Dipper only looked up at her with his own smirk, "Sorry, but I think I can take you down without even touching you."

She was stunned, "What?"

Dipper shoved his hands in his vest pockets, "What? Do I have to dumb it down for someone like you to understand?"

"How dare you! You are so disrespectful! Your parents must've hated you."

Oh, she was in for it now. He kept his composure and looked to the side, "I can't speak stupid. Again, sorry."

Mabel watched her brother continue to mock the older woman, who was fuming hotter by the second. Soos was mildly impressed, but also worried he'd get his butt kicked.

"Listen, you smug little piece of garbage, I'm not afraid to hit a kid." She hissed viciously.

He only groaned in response, "I still can't understand what you're saying, so let me try to tell you in your language."

Dipper looked her straight in the eyes, before making an entirely stupid face, "UH, DOI."

The brunette sidestepped from her punch. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, her entire body was engulfed with fury. It wasn't very hard for him to keep dodging her attacks. Since he was shorter, she had to bend down to swing at him. Dipper refrained from taking his hands out of his pockets as he moved backwards. She would follow his movement blindly, not noticing her surroundings.

The other citizens in the mall paused to observe the scene. Some of them were appalled that an adult would try to hurt a kid who wasn't even fighting back, while others were unsure of what to do. Soos was also conflicted if he should step in and apologize for Dipper, or let him fulfill his scheme.

Mabel caught her brother's glances towards her. Dipper seemed to be signaling something with his eyes. She looked to where he was directing, and quickly figured out his plan. She snuck away from the sidelines to help him out. Even if she didn't want actual vengeance on the lady, she wouldn't let her brother take her on alone when he's asking for help.

"Come here!" The infuriated woman shouted at him. He ducked from another punch and shook his head, "Nope."

The woman threw another swing, but failed. Dipper suddenly found himself backing up towards the mall's fountain. She grinned as he looked up at her. Despite the livid glint in her eyes, he advised her, "You should apologize to my sister."

"You and your sister are both additions to a crappy generation!"

"Honestly, you're just a crappy person in general." He shrugged nonchalantly as she threw another punch at him, missing its mark.

"I swear, when I get my hands on you, you're dead!" She screeched at him, not caring who heard. Mabel lurked closely as the woman continued to corner her brother against the fountain. Dipper darted his eyes left and right, while the woman cracked her knuckles, "No where to go, huh?"

Another punch, and another miss. Dipper rolled away at the last second, causing the woman to lean over the fountain. During her momentary shock, Mabel dashed towards her, and lifted her legs over the ledge. With a splash, and a couple of gasps from the crowd, the woman was submerged under the water.

She shot up, spluttering and frantically pushing her way back onto the stone. Her entire being was soaked to the bone, her clothes dripped and her shoes squelched. The woman was horrified to discover that her phone was completely drenched. She cried out, "My phone!"

Dipper and Mabel grinned at each other while high fiving. The bystanders also gave their own cheers and whistles, while Soos ran over to them. "Dudes, that was awesome!"

Their celebration was short-lived as they heard the woman screaming, "Yes! Those brats and that fat man ruined my phone and my clothes! Assault! Destruction of property! Have them under arrest!"

The officer looked over at the three, who were waving back innocently. The other customers of the mall were lightly shaking their heads.

"Ma'am," The officer placed a hand on her shoulder, "I'm going to have to ask you to calm down, and I'll go get them to clear things up."

"What?! No, just listen to me! They're at fault!"

"Please, just be patient."

"I will not, let go of me!" She stomped her foot down harshly onto the officer's foot, to which he flinched. She gulped at her mistake, and he glared, "Assault to an officer, huh? Come with me."

Her loud protests were ignored as the officer forced her out of the mall. The crowd disbanded to go back to their normal shopping. Dipper crossed his arms with a victorious smile, "That'll teach her."

Mabel beamed at him, "Thanks, bro-bro."

He smiled back, happy that his sister was feeling better and that he was able to succeed in his vengeance. Soos was also grinning from ear to ear, before he realized that this all happened because he irritated that woman. The twins had been trying to get him a girl to date the whole day. Everytime he tried, it failed in the worst ways. It was almost as if to tell him he wouldn't ever find the one. His revelation caused him to sigh deeply, and the twins looked up at him puzzled, "What's wrong?"

"I still haven't found any girls for me."

The siblings looked up at the skylight. A starry night sky stared back down at them. Mabel apologized, "We'll have to meet up again tomorrow."

"Okay," Soos replied, a bit unsatisfied. Sure, he wanted to do this for his grandmother, she was his first motivation for it. But now, he realized that he may actually never find a girl to love and to love him back. Would he grow up lonely and old, surrounded by his inventions? Like... his mentor?

* * *

Fiddleford frowned. Throughout the entire school day, it hasn't been going as well as the other days. Every time he reviewed what he had just built, Soos was confused. When his apprentice handed him the tool he needed, it was slower than usual. He even has to say one of the tools twice!

Also, Soos had a constant expression of unhappiness. His posture was slouching and his feet was dragged. Why was he so out of it today?

Fiddleford cleared his throat, earning the attention of his apprentice. "Soos, why don't we have a talk?"

"Um, alright, sir."

The two grabbed their own stool and sat on it. Awkward silence reigned over as they faced each other. After a few moments, Soos inquired, "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"You."

"Me?"

"Yes," Fiddleford sighed, "Is there something going on that I need to know about? You're being less productive than your average rate. It will greatly affect your work."

"It's nothing too important, sir."

"It's always important, Soos. You're my apprentice." Fiddleford explained, "I want to teach you as much as I can before I die."

"But you have taught me a lot," The younger man replied gratefully.

"And theres still much more, but you can't hold yourself back." McGucket told him. Soos pursed his lips and hesitated to open his mouth again.

"If you say so…" Soos started to describe his situation, "My grandmother wanted me to find a nice girl to date and probably even marry one day. So lately, I've been trying to find one. But now I'm starting to realize I may not be suitable for any woman, ever."

Fiddleford perked up in recognition, "Is that so? That's not something to dismiss, love is very important! It can bring a lot out of a person."

"How do you know? Have you ever loved anyone?"

Fiddleford's face fell slightly, and Soos panicked, "Oh, no, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have asked."

"It's fine." His mentor looked distant in thought, "I do know what love feels like. Or at least, I remember how it feels."

"What do you mean…?" Soos trailed off.

"Well, you see, when I was younger, I got into an accident, along with my parents. They had died, but I survived. However, I couldn't remember anything about them."

"Amnesia?"

"Correct, but even so, I can remember that they did love me a lot, and that I loved them just as much. But love can be very painful, too. Losing someone you love can have a great toll on you, as it did to me. I forced myself to shut everyone out. I didn't want to have a chance to feel that pain again."

Fiddleford stroke his white beard, "Although, I ended up craving some kind of connection with someone. It's a very complicated emotion, isn't it? Some days, I do regret not looking out for a nice woman to meet, and maybe even a family to call my own."

Soos shifted uncomfortably, "Will that happen to me?"

Fiddleford waved his hand around, "That's all up to you, Soos. You and I are very different, afterall. However, I'm confident you'll have greater luck than I'll ever get."

The apprentice felt a smile break open on his face, "Thanks, sir."

"I should also thank you," Fiddleford placed a hand on his shoulder, "I never really knew how it was like to grow with someone and teach them what you know. I mean, I practically half-raised you, I suppose. You gave me a new experience, if you know what I mean."

Did that mean… like a son? Did his mentor also view him as a son? Soos choked on his words, "I never knew what it was like to have a father…"

Fiddleford was taken aback, before breaking out into a bigger grin, "Well, I guess we both learned something."

He stood up from the stool and stretched. The older man patted Soos on the back, "You should go now, and try again. Remember, there are tons of fish in the sea."

"Roger that!" Soos jumped off his own stool, "Thanks again, sir!"

He saluted at his mentor, who saluted back. Then, Soos was gone from his sight. Fiddleford made his way back to his house, without feeling the usual gloom of isolation. He sighed contently to himself as he walked in his office. There was a picture frame on his desk, portraying a joyful, young Soos holding an award in one hand and a machine in the other. A proud Fiddleford stood next to him, hand on his shoulder. His apprentice achieved the first place trophy in an engineering competition.

As he began to write down today's progression, memories rolled in his head like an old movie film.

 _Fiddleford McGucket strode back towards his home. The moonlight beamed and bounced off the town, creating a mirage of supernatural properties. Even though this town was already a sight to behold when it came to the supernatural. But anyways, the walk was enjoyable._

 _Well, it was. There was a faint sniffling that came from the side. He turned his head, and saw a young boy in the playground. He was sitting in the slide while holding an object in his hand. It was a bit difficult to see, but there were silver lines of tears trailing down his chubby cheeks._

 _Fiddleford cautiously approached the boy, and kneeled down beside him. He greeted softly, "Hello."_

 _The boy shot his head up in surprise, and tentatively spoke, "Hi, who are you?"_

" _Just call me "sir" for now, okay?" Fiddleford answered and the boy nodded timidly. The older man looked at the object in his hand and questioned, "What do you have there?"_

" _Oh, this?" The boy held it up for him to see, "I built it. It's supposed to be a small drone that can fight and stuff."_

" _Can I see?" Fiddleford asked, and the boy hesitated, before nodding again. The engineer took it carefully from his hands, and examined the object thoroughly. It seemed very stable and organized, no bolts were out of place. He pressed the button atop, and the drone began to spin, its arm extensions were whacking around randomly._

" _This is amazing," Fiddleford smiled at the young boy, who slightly blushed from the compliment. He wasn't usually praised for his weird inventions. But the older man inquired, "Why fighting, though?"_

 _The boy rubbed his arm, "This was a gift for my dad, but I don't really know where he is… or who he is."_

 _Fiddleford's smile faltered at his story. However, the boy continued speaking, "But, I like to imagine what he's like. And a wrestler came to mind."_

 _The older man chuckled as the boy giggled. He had imagination, as well as a talent for engineering. And for some reason, Fiddleford felt an undefined feeling to reach out to this boy. He asked yet another question, "What's your name?"_

 _The boy responded, with a lot less shyness, "Jesus Ramirez, but you can call me 'Soos'."_

* * *

 **Mentor and apprentice relationships can be just as close as family and I think thats wonderful. Soos and McGucket are a bit of a weird combination, but hey, I thought it fit nicely.**

 **Yeah, not a lot of super duper interesting stuff happened in this chapter. Just a bit of development here and there and everywhere! And then there's Dipper and Mabel teamwork. But nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed!**

 **Stay tuned!**


	18. Chapter 18

**aaagh sorry, One Punch Man was taking up my free time ;-; it's so good, and I ship Tatsumaki and Saitama so much!**

 **During my research, I found out that canon McGucket does have a son. Let's pretend he doesn't exist. Also, if you notice throughout my fanfic, there are, of course, a lot of the canon verse mixed in with this au. Anything that is obviously from the show (like quotes), I do not own! Take it from the disclaimer.**

 **But I'm confident you can tell which is which :D or maybe you don't care, who knows?**

 **5waydragon: I CAN'T HELP IT AWKWARD MOMENTS ARE INEVITABLE! As for drama, yeaaah I'm sorry, I'm not sure what to do about that. I already have the story planned out, though!**

 **KittyCat151: Let's wait and see, shall we? :3**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

Mabel grinned as she faced towards her brother, "Hey, watch this!"

She was currently balancing several forks and spoons on top of her hand. Dipper gave her a challenging smirk of his own, "Oh yeah? Watch this!"

He ripped his hat off his head and placed even more forks and spoons atop. Somehow, they managed to hold still while standing up. Mabel was shocked as her forks and spoons clattered onto the floor below, "How are you doing that?!"

"Magic!" He sang mysteriously. Mabel pouted in defeat as Dipper puffed his chest victoriously. A deep sigh broke out, causing more clattering to come from the male brunette's utensils. Both of them turned to their friend, who wasn't taking part in their fun.

Dipper and Mabel frowned as Soos laid his chin on the table. Despite his mentor's encouragement from yesterday, he couldn't help but feel dejected once more. They tried again and again today, but still no luck. At least it didn't end in another crazy chick trying to hurt any of them.

Soos was stuffing chips into his mouth with continuous crunching. Dipper comfortingly rubbed his hand on the middle aged man's back. The male twin asked, "Wanna talk about it?"

"I'm beginning to think that I won't find anyone," Soos told them glumly. Mabel hesitated briefly, but still shook her head. She coaxed, "No, Soos! Don't give up!"

"Yeah, those girls don't know what they're missing out on anyways." Dipper added.

"But… what if it's not them? What if it's me?" Soos grimaced, "Is my fatness not adorable enough? Or am I too childish?"

He yelped in pain as Mabel whacked him upside his head. His hat fell to his side as he rubbed the spot of impact. Mabel crossed her arms, "Don't you dare think like that! We love you Soos, who you are is what makes you awesome!"

Dipper nodded firmly in agreement, and Soos cracked a small smile. These guys always sticked up for him. He picked up his hat and fixed it on his head, before standing up from his chair, "Thanks for believing in me, dudes. I'll be on my way, now."

"Bye Soos!" Both the twins yelled simultaneously. On his way out, the apprentice saw Stan and Ford. The older twins were doing their own thing, but they quickly noticed his presence. Soos bowed before beaming up at them, "Thanks for letting me stay."

"No problem, kid," Stan responded, "Girl trouble is a common thing, you'll need all the help you can get."

"Have a safe walk home," Ford bid him goodbye. Soos exited the Mystery Shack and made his way back to his own house. It was dark outside, making it hard to see when only the moon lit the way. But the forest didn't frighten him. It was quite peaceful, actually.

Soft creaking filled the silence as Soos pushed open the door to his home. The lights were off; his grandmother was probably resting by now. He tiptoed across the wooden floorboards and made his way into his room. Shutting the door behind him, he checked if anything seemed out of place. It was weird, because he often found his diary slightly shifted from time to time.

His eyes caught onto the box filled with dusty objects at his feet. Lately, he hadn't been able to make any actual use of it. Soos picked it up and set it on his lap, and began to rummage through the items. He lifted up the first object, which appeared to be a sophisticated computer chip. He muffled a few coughs into his arm as dust attacked his lungs.

The apprentice continued to keep pulling more and more small computer parts, which seemed rusted and worn out. There really wasn't much need for any of these things. No wonder McGucket threw them out. Although, there was one object that stood out from the rest. It seemed to consist of no imperfections, which resulted in Soos wondering why his mentor would put this in with the rest.

He cautiously picked up the plastic case and read the front. 'Romance Academy 7' popped out in bold, pink letters above a cute anime schoolgirl. He opened up the case to find the videogame was still intact, not a scrape on it. Soos scratched his chin, did say that he needed all the help he could get. Plus, he liked to play games. Maybe he could get a kick out of this.

Soos placed all of the computer parts back into the cardboard box and patted himself down. After placing the CD inside his computer, he sat back in his chair. The game started up almost right away, and the introduction played. Then, there was the same anime girl from the cover. She was holding books to her chest while wearing an adorable smile. For a dating simulator, she was quite pretty.

"Oh, hi there. My name is Giffany," Her voice was high pitched with a robotic tint, "I'm a schoolgirl at School University. Will you help me carry my books?"

There were options on the side, and he hummed in thought. What should he do if this was in real life? Well, he needed to get a date quickly, he couldn't let the chance slip by! Deciding to pick the option to demand a date, a buzzing noise immediately indicated it was an incorrect choice. He flinched his hand back to hold his face, "Ugh, I got it wrong!"

She only giggled, "That's okay, try again!"

"Um, alright…" Soos changed his answer to the correct one, and coins rained down on the screen. He cheered at his success, "Wow! This game is amazing!"

"Isn't it? And I'm sure you'll never leave, new boyfriend," Her face was closer up to the screen, and Soos couldn't help but cock and eyebrow, "You can… hear me?"

Giffany held her smile, "Of course, shouldn't girlfriends listen to their boyfriends?"

"I guess…" Soos felt himself slightly disturbed. He didn't have a headset, and his computer mic was broken. How was she able to understand what he was saying?

"What's your name, new boyfriend?" She broke his train of thought.

"Soos."

"Soos? That's a nice name."

"Oh, it's only a nickname. My real name was chosen by my mom, who told me she got it from my dad…"

The mood suddenly became heavier. Giffany tilted her head curiously, "What are your parents like?"

And their conversation turned from a few minutes to a few hours. Soos was surprised to find himself actually enjoying his chat with Giffany. Plus, she seemed to be feeling the same. Her eyes would sparkle every time he complimented her, and she had a really nice laugh. It would sound crazy to other people, but perhaps he could get used to this. Yet, there was still a part of his mind that bit at him. Even though she was a nicely done artificial intelligence figure, would he really go through with having a digital lady as his girlfriend?

Although, it seemed no real lady would be his girlfriend. However, Giffany seemed real enough.

"You seem troubled, what is wrong?" Giffany questioned gently. Soos pursed his lips, before answering, "Real life kind of sucks sometimes."

"Really?" Giffany's eyes softened, "I think it would be nice to actually… feel what humans feel. They have so many complicated things to them, it's strange."

Soos' face lit up slightly, "You think so?"

She began to slowly stretch her hand out to him, "Yeah, I always wondered how it was like to be…"

Her hand hit the screen with a faint sound. Giffany's smile dropped as she finished her sentence, "real."

She downcasted her head, but raised it when she heard the faint sound again. Her face was visibly astonished when Soos placed his hand over hers. The glass screen was their barrier. He gave her a tiny smile, "I think you don't have to be."

Giffany's expression gradually broke into a wide grin, one that looked like it could break her face at any moment. Her eyes were brimming with pixelated tears, "Thank you, Soos."

Is this what commitment to someone else felt like? Or was it different because she was a game? Maybe it would be better to think about it tomorrow. With a yawn, Soos informed her, "It's pretty late, I should go sleep."

Giffany was still beaming at him, eyes sparkling brightly, "Okay, Soos! Have sweet dreams!"

Soos mustered up a smile to give her until he finally shut down his computer. An exasperated groan escaped his mouth as he collapsed onto his bed. It only took him moments before he fell asleep.

In reality, it's been more than a few hours. But it felt like only seconds. Morning light pierced through his window and shined upon his closed eyes. He winced, and groggily got up. His mouth was dry, and still tasted like chips. Soos stretched his stiff joints and sat up on his bed. While rubbing his eyes, he let out a yawn.

"Good morning!"

"GAH!" Soos' mind jolted awake as he accidentally hit the back of his head against his shelf. The sudden greeting shocked him greatly. He rubbed his head as the voice inquired, "Are you okay?"

Soos looked up, and saw his computer was on again. Giffany was staring at him with concern in her eyes. He refrained from expressing his unsettled feeling and forced out an embarrassed chuckle, "I'm fine, just fine!"

"That's good," She shyly held her hands behind her back, "How was your sleep?"

"Uh… good."

Silence reigned over afterwards. Soos awkwardly tapped his knee as he sat at the far end of his bed. Giffany was gazing at him expectantly, and he could feel a bullet of sweat run down the side of his temple. Soos cleared his throat, "I should go to work now."

Giffany frowned, "You can't just stay with me?"

"Well, no…"

Soos was taken aback when she began to sob, pixelated tears rained from her eyes. She hiccuped, "Do you not love me anymore?! What did I ever do wrong?!"

"It's not you!" Soos frantically reassured, "It's me! I need this job to make money to pay for bills, you know?"

"You're right," Giffany kept crying, however, "I'm a terrible girlfriend! How could I be so cruel!"

"That's okay, I get it!" Soos stifled a choke, "Don't worry about anything, I still love you anyways!"

She stopped crying. Soos discreetly sighed in relief. Giffany looked at him innocently, "You love me?"

Well, there went his relief. Love was a pretty strong word, as he knew well. Soos waved his hand around dismissively, "Of course."

"I love you, too!" Giffany smiled as bright as the monitor let her, "Have a good day at work! I'll be waiting."

Then, the screen became black. Soos waited a little longer, but it seemed she wouldn't return for the time being. He quickly scrambled out of the room and found his grandmother cooking breakfast. The middle aged man kissed her on the cheek affectionately before fleeing out the door. He announced, "Bye grandma!"

* * *

Soos returned later that day, worn out and annoyed. What was it? Like, four or five days until Valentine's Day? And he still couldn't find a real, living girl to show his grandmother! The twins seemed to be trying even harder now. So did he, to prove that he can be loved romantically by a woman!

It would be complicated with Giffany. She was stuck in his computer screen, and that may be all she'll ever be. How would this "relationship" work if he didn't completely feel as much as she though he felt! He was just trying to be nice! This is what he deserves when he doesn't know anything about girls.

I mean, the AI looked sad when she pressed her hand against the monitor, so he wanted to cheer her up. Then she became happy when he pulled that weird gesture from nothing. That was good, right? And then Giffany was being hysterical for different reasons, so maybe if he calmed her down with something girls like to hear, she would stop! And it worked, but now he was forced to be devoted to her.

"Welcome home!"

Soos was caught off guard once again. He yelped as he stumbled back and tripped over some object randomly placed on the floor. The apprentice fell to his back, and laid there in defeat, "Aw, Giffany, why do you keep doing that?"

In his frantic pondering, he hadn't realized he made it to his room. Giffany giggled, "I like to surprise you!"

"Well," Soos hoisted himself up and relaxed onto his chair, "I'm thoroughly surprised."

Giffany smiled her adorable smile, "How was work today?"

"Good, all good."

"Then why do you seem unhappy?"

"Huh?" Soos tried to play dumb, but Giffany was sternly staring at him. He cracked under her gaze, "Oh! Right, it's not really important!"

He couldn't let her know that he was trying to find someone else! Preferably one that was actually human. Giffany was a really good, but creepy, friend at best. He wasn't convinced he could love her like she apparently loved him. The pixelated girl shook her head, "No, Soos! It's always important! You can tell me, can't you?"

Soos gulped nervously, "N-Not really."

Suddenly, it seemed like all of the light hearted and serene ambience that came from her had vanished. Her face darkened as she broke out into a yell, "WHAT?! How could you not talk to your own girlfriend! You're unbelievable, Soos! Was everything what you said a blatant lie!? I'm always here for you, why can't you see that!?"

"I do, Giffany! It's just—"

"Just what?!" She shouted, "You know what, don't even talk to me anymore! You hurt my feelings!"

With that, his screen became pitch black once again. Soos hesitantly spoke, "Giffany?"

There was no response. Soos bit his cheek, "I'm sorry."

There was still no response. Deciding that was enough crazy he could take in a day, he collapsed onto his bed and let sleep drag him under.

When he awoke the next morning, he checked the screen. Giffany wasn't on it to greet him. Soos groaned and got up to exit the room. He bid goodbye to his grandmother and left hurriedly to his work.

He really messed up, didn't he? Now, even a girl who doesn't physically exist won't be with him! Just how unfortunate was he?

In a split second, he felt a sharp tingling in his finger. He jerked his hand back and nursed his aching finger. While distracted, he accidentally electrified himself, but only the tip of his finger. McGucket came over and bent down, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, sir."

McGucket frowned, Soos wasn't concentrating again. He sighed, "Soos, stop what you're doing."

His apprentice dropped the tools back into the toolbox and turned to face him. McGucket sat down onto the floor and asked, "Are you having any more problems? Like, girl problems?"

"Yes..." Soos scratched behind his ear, "How do you apologize to them?"

Oh, he already found a girl? A sudden burst of pride made McGucket smile, he knew that Soos had it in him! He slapped a hand on the younger man's back, "You have a girlfriend now? Way to go! What's she like?"

"What?" Perplexed, Soos stared at his mentor, who only stared back in anticipation. Soos answered after a moment of realization, "Oh! Well, she's sort've my girlfriend, it's complicated. Also she's pretty, and predictable!"

That wasn't what he understood according to the famous 'women are unpredictable' stereotype. But McGucket grinned, "Well, aren't you the lucky one, you wouldn't want to lose a girl like that! What's got her so angry?"

Now that was something he couldn't explain. How would his mentor feel that his own apprentice was desperate enough to date a girl from a game? Soos shrugged, "Uh, something of the sort, you know how it is."

McGucket nodded in comprehension, "Maybe you should just go stay with her after you're done here."

"Yeah, she might like that…"

"Good, now let's get back to work."

As they were working, Mabel rested in the grass with Waddles laying beside her. There was a lack of civilians around, and all the birds finished their morning song. The young girl could hear the breeze rustle the trees and blades of grass. She could feel the sun warm her body and tickle her skin.

"AAAAARGH!"

Her frustrated scream broke the peace. She rolled around like a child as she punched the ground and swung her feet down roughly. When the brunette was finished, she panted into her crossed arms while on her stomach. Waddles oinked at her in concern, and she flipped onto her back, "I don't know, Waddles! We've tried so much but none of it is working!"

Waddles continued to stare at her, and she kept talking to him, "Of course I won't give up on him, but I don't know what else to do!"

Waddles cocked his head to the side as she puffed her cheeks, "This is harder than it seems, don't you see my dilemma?!"

"Yeah, I see it," Waddles licked his short, pink fur, "It's a dumb dilemma, too."

Mabel gasped, "Waddles, that's rude!"

"Turn around, you nitwit."

Bill was crossing his arms as he floated slightly off the ground. Mabel gasped once again, "Bill!"

She jumped for him, but he only moved out of the way. The brunette landed on her chest as the dream demon arched an eyebrow, "Why would you talk to a pig?"

"It works, you should try it sometimes," Mabel stood up and dusted off dirt or grass that stuck to her, "But now that you're here, you can help!"

"How do you know that I—"

"Don't even start with me, I know you can help!"

He pouted angrily, and she struggled to hold her authoritative stance. Bill clicked his tongue and glowered at her.

"Easy fix, Shooting Star," Bill rolled his lone eye, "Just let him be him."

"But you don't even know what he's like."

"Doesn't matter, guys shouldn't have to be any different when they're with girls. It's stupid when they try to."

Bill dodged once again as Mabel tried to jump on him. She only cheered from the ground, "That's brilliant!"

"Of course it is. I'm a brilliant being, afterall."

She giggled as he arrogantly smirked to himself. Irked, he glared down at her, "Why are you fretting over this anyways?"

"He needed my help, so I'm giving it to him, and I'm going to succeed!"

"Shouldn't you worry more about yourself?"

"What do you mean?"

Bill gave her a deadpan stare as she stared back with a scrunched expression. He nearly scowled at how long it was taking for her to figure out what he was talking about. Didn't she consider every detail about this kind of stuff? Not like he cared about how she would solve it. He was only curious, and more information meant more power.

"OH! I was so caught up in Soos' problem, I forgot I needed a Valentine too!" Getting up once again, Mabel asked slyly, "What will you do for Valentine's Day?"

"Ruin as much spirit as I can, as always." He responded casually. Mabel frowned, "Why?"

"It's fun."

"You're type of fun is weird."

"What would you know about "not-weird" fun?"

She inquired, "Haven't you ever actually celebrated the spirit of the holiday?"

"No, and I don't plan to." He declared firmly.

Before he could react, she brought him in for a hug. He cursed inwardly at his inability to avoid this. She only smiled, "I'll be your valentine, and you can be mine!"

"Eh?!" Bill pushed her back, a little too harshly, "I will not, nor will I ever be your valentine!"

"Come on!" She whined, "I heard there's gonna be a fair coming up on Valentine's Day! That'll be fun!"

"No!"

"I'll let you decide where you want to go!"

"I said no!"

"You can eat my cotton candy!"

"Are you listening to me?!"

"We can stay for only a little bit!"

"I'll burn your mouth off—"

"There'll be a lot of people there!"

"...What are you saying?"

Mabel inhaled after running out of breath from shouting constantly, "I'm saying, we can do a little of your fun, and a little of mine!"

Bill hummed in consideration. It did seem like a nice deal. He could destroy the holiday spirit for all those disgusting romantic meatsacks while Shooting Star did whatever. He planted his feet on the grass before sticking a flaming hand out. Mabel looked at him in confusion, to which he clarified, "It means deal."

She furrowed her eyebrows, "What happens when the deal isn't fulfilled by the person?"

"I take your **soul**." He bore a Cheshire grin at her, to which she turned around to leave with a blank expression. The blonde huffed, "Take a joke, Shooting Star. I'll just make sure to never follow any of your suggestions again."

She twirled back around with an offended look, "My suggestions are great!"

"You can try to prove it, but you'll fail."

"Deal!"

With a firm shake of the hand, the deal was sealed.

* * *

 **And we're done! It seems Mabel's teachings are working, maybe a bit too convincing!**

 **Upcoming Mabill! Or WILL THERE?!**

 **Giffany is so niiice and sweeeet, OR IS SHE?!**

 **Soos will never find love! OR WON'T HE?!**

 **idk, we'll all see together! Until next chapter!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello, hello, hello all! What can I do for you?**

…

…

…

 **OH! You're here for the chapter, of course!**

 **I figured out how to do em dashes, I'll be spending time retyping a few chapters. And the difference between single and double quotes ;-;**

 **Have you noticed anything… different? Well if you have, congratulations! Yes, that is the cover image for this story! Yes, I did draw it! Yes, bad quality, darn image revisions had to be made because of the size recommendations.**

 **QueenLlama: Welcome and thank you! We'll see ;)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

Dipper trailed after the grunkles, who were breaking a fast pace around the forest. There were the signature pine trees covering their views, creating patches of sunlight on the grassy ground. It was relatively quiet and undisturbed, but there was bound to be some kind of monster.

"So, uh," Dipper began, "Why're you both here now?"

Stan shrugged, "Why not, kid?"

"I don't know, it's just unusual."

"Well you see, when Stan and I had a bit more youth and free time on our hands, we would search for some monsters to fight." Grunkle Ford answered. He stopped to examine scratch marks that were apparent on the trunk of a tree.

"Brings back some memories," Stan sighed as he cracked his neck, "Now it's just having to fight old age."

"Ah, memories," Ford chuckled, "remember Carla McCorkle?"

"Oh, don't remind me," Stan huffed. Dipper questioned Ford, "Who is that?"

"Just a girl that Stanley was totally smitten with." Ford replied as they continued following the surrounding damage made from a skirmish.

"Yeah, was," Stan grimaced, "Until she decided to leave me for some peace-loving, music-making, druggie—"

"Hippy, he means a hippy," Ford cleared up for his grandnephew, who nodded in understanding. Stan inquired, "Kid, don't you have a crush on some girl from the academy?"

"Grunkle Ford!" Dipper yelled hotly, while Ford just shrugged nonchalantly, "I never said who."

Stan guessed, "Is it the Northwest?"

"What?!" Dipper felt his face tinge red, "No! Never!"

"Aw, why not? Her family's got tons of money." Stan reasoned. Dipper only shook his head profusely, "I'd never like a girl for her money, Grunkle Stan!"

"Whatever, it's your loss," Stan told him. Ford was looking closely at each of the random holes that were made in the ground and trunks of the tree. They seemed to have burnt edges, and their was a faint foul smell in the air. Stan and Dipper watched from the sidelines.

Stan continued, "So, who is it then?"

"Oh, it's just this really cool girl," Dipper puffed his chest proudly, "Her name's Wendy Corduroy, and she's about sixteen right now."

Stan whistled, "Going for older women, huh? Just don't get in my way."

He playfully punched Dipper's shoulder, and they both laughed. After they calmed down, Dipper brought up hesitantly, "But I don't know how to talk to her though, or any girls."

"Don't you have Mabel to help you out with that?" Stan asked.

"Well, I'm not sure if I can follow her completely, as much as I should. I mean, I know she's also a girl, but it might only apply to her," Dipper admitted, "But there's other stuff I don't even know much about, like hormones and glands!"

Stan suddenly widely grinned as Ford inhaled a sharp breath through his teeth in the background. Dipper looked perplexed as his eyes darted between the two of them, "What?"

Stan hung an arm around his grandnephew's shoulders, "I'll make sure to teach you all you need to know, but later."

"Alright," Dipper narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously, "but can you tell me a pointer on girls right now?"

"Easy, just say whatever she wants to hear."

"But won't that count as lying sometimes?"

"No worries, it works great. Trust me."

"No, Dipper, just try to find some common ground," Ford joined in their conversation as he popped up beside them.

"Since when has that ever worked out for anyone?" Stan retorted.

"Almost all the time," Ford rolled his eyes as they continued on their track, "Please, out of the two of us, I'd be more successful."

"Pfft, how, and since when?" Stan scoffed. Ford just crossed his arms haughtily, "Around this day of age, Stanley, intellect and charm is where it's at."

"Charm, schmarm. Confidence and pick up lines still work, you know."

"Aren't you guys a little too old to be debating about this?" Dipper recommended awkwardly.

"You're never too old for love!" Ford declared with a fist raised, with Stan nodding approvingly. He suggested, "But anyways, why don't you try soon? Maybe on Valentine's Day, that'd be a really good time."

"Ew, Valentine's Day? I forgot that day was coming up," Dipper shuddered, "No thanks."

"What, you don't like Valentine's Day?" Stan furrowed his eyebrows, "It's great! Like suckers trying to find the perfect gift for their loved one."

As Stan was rubbing his hands mischievously, Ford cocked an eyebrow, "Why don't you like Valentine's Day?"

"It all began with…" Dipper glared at nothing in particular, and lowly said, "fourth grade."

Stan and Ford looked at each other warily, and shrugged at the same time. Ford comfortingly told Dipper, "Don't worry Dipper, I'm sure this Valentine's Day will be good for you. I heard there's going to be a fair."

"If you think so…" Dipper didn't say more afterwards. They spotted liquid painting the grass red, a dead bear was at the end of it. It was wrapped around in what seemed like white silk, and Grunkle Ford put a hand to his chin. This didn't add up, because both of the evidence of attack were to have been made by two different creatures.

Dipper crinkled his nose in disgust, but spotted various glittery figures flying above the scene. He gasped at the sight, they were fairies! Although, the fairies seemed to be distraught at the bloodied area and fallen bear. Nonetheless, it was amazing to see such creatures. He was sure Mabel would love to see them.

Dipper paused his thought, and inquired his great uncles that were investigating the site, "Why didn't we bring Mabel along?"

Instant silence came after his question. Stan and Ford continued their way through the forest, leaving Dipper to follow them. Suddenly, the older men stopped at the trunk of a fallen tree to turn towards Dipper. Stan plopped himself onto the wood as Ford ran fingers through his aged hair, "Listen my boy, we love you and Mabel greatly and equally, but you two are quite different."

Dipper was puzzled, but he let his great uncle keep speaking, "You can handle yourself if you need to, but what if Mabel was somehow separated from us? What would become of her?"

"We won't let that happen, though!" Dipper replied firmly, "I won't let that happen."

"See? You're scared for her well being too," Ford commented.

"Of course I'm scared, but that doesn't mean we should just leave her behind."

Stan cut in, "We aren't even sure how she made it through without the three of us when we were battling against Gideon. It may have been when Pacifica came or something."

Dipper couldn't respond to that, since he didn't actually know what had happened after he was knocked out. That would be a good question to ask later. But still, he insisted, "Just give her a chance, or something that she can use for herself!"

"We'll see," Ford placed a hand on his grandnephew's shoulder, "but for now, let's keep her safe from afar."

Dipper concealed a frown, "Okay."

Abruptly, a feminine shriek snatched their attention, and they all rushed towards the source. It only took them a few moments to analyze the situation.

An ugly, dark creature was cornering a woman; she bore wrinkles on her face, but her body was still curved and tan. The dark being had long, sharp claws that was dripping with crimson blood, even though the woman seemed unharmed. However, she was helplessly lying on the ground, looking horrified as the monster rose its claws to kill her.

Dipper boosted a dash in front of the lady and used his sword to hold off its attack. With a grunt, he swung his sword, pushing its arm away as he sliced off its leg. The creature howled before using its other claws to attack. Where was his great uncles?!

"Grunkle Stan! Grunkle Ford!" Dipper shouted at them, breaking them out of their trance.

Ford shot at the creature's arm, cutting it off from the rest of its body. Stan bounded in and punched the monster's chest with a battle cry, effectively destroying it. He grimaced at the black blood that covered him, but turned to Dipper.

"Kid, you alright?"

"I'm fine," Dipper said as he flicked off some of the blood that flew on him. Ford also went next to them.

"It seemed that that monster was the one who killed the bear…" He concluded, although with uncertainty. It still didn't make sense as to why there was white silk evident on the bear corpse they saw earlier. But he didn't bother to think too much about it as both he and his twin were focused on the woman.

"And are you okay?" Stan's tone of voice swiftly changed, that of one which made Dipper uncomfortable. The woman put a hand to her chest and batted her eyelashes. Her voice was just like Stan's, only with a Jersey accent, "Why, I am now. Thanks to you three."

Ford shot her a dazzling smile and bowed, "The pleasure's all mine."

"And mine too!" Stan added. Dipper rolled his eyes as the woman giggled, "Oh, how could I ever repay you three?"

"You don't have to, really," Dipper stressed. Ford only pushed the boy's hat down his face, "Nonsense! Anything is fine."

"What can I call you?" She eyed him and bit her lip. Ford felt his breath catch in his throat, allowing Stan to push up in front of him, "Name's Stanley, toots, but you can call me the catch of your life."

Ford discreetly glared at his twin and perked up beside him, "And I'm Stanford."

"Matching names for twins? That's so cute," The woman bent down to hold Dipper's face, to which he gritted his teeth. The great uncles struggled to keep their eyes on her face. She asked sweetly, "Who's this handsome, young fella'?"

"Dipper." He stated, "Now we really have to get going—"

"And your name is?" Stan interrupted, pushing down Dipper's hat like his brother had done. Dipper growled as he fixed it back onto his head once again.

"Darlene," She informed them, "I don't have a last name, however. I ran from my family long ago, and never got married."

Darlene trembled her thick, pink lips and wiped off tears that were threatening to fall. Stan and Ford were both speaking incoherently of any consolations they could think of. Dipper frowned, "That's too bad, but we should really go eat before we starve, don't you think?"

"I see," She twirled her blonde hair with a smirk, "why don't you come to my place and stay for lunch?"

"Yes!"

"Absolutely!"

Ford and Stan answered simultaneously. Dipper only groaned from below them and facepalmed.

* * *

Bill mindlessly floated through the Nightmare Realm, enjoying the eerie silence that reigned over. It was so dark, foggy, and decimated, perfect for relaxing!

There were certain parts to the realm. The sides where it was complete chaos and madness, filled with uncontrollable colors. The sections that were nothing but monochromatic leftovers of what seemed to be proof of old, human residence. Of course, monsters and demons just put that there to mock the other realm. And then there were the areas that were a mix of both.

Bill had his preferences, but right now, this was the best.

"Have you heard of the whereabouts of King Adrian?" He heard a distorted grumble come from below. Bill stopped where he was in the air, and listened with interest.

"No, no one has seen him for months!"

"Maybe he's planning something." A different voice replied.

Another voice remarked, "A plan? What kind of plan?"

"Ooh, are we finally going to take over the Earth realm?"

Excited jibber jabber came from the huddled up monsters. Bill rolled his lone eye, deciding that these were just a bunch of losers.

"Hey you!" A voice called out. Bill flipped himself completely upside down, his hat miraculously still on his head. A horrendous figure was a little below him, along with the other monsters. The dream demon pointed to himself questioningly.

"Yeah you!" It grunted, "You don't belong here, so get out!"

The other creatures joined in, pointing whatever limbs they had that resembled a finger at the blonde. They created a mess of loud jumbled up grunts and grumbles, probably insulting him and banishing him. Bill just floated in front of the one who spoke to him first.

With a straight face, he answered, "Nah."

He flew high above them, and soared elsewhere, enjoying the indignant and infuriated cries left in his wake.

Meanwhile, Mabel hummed contently to herself as she skipped through the streets, everything was just so fantastic! The sky was such a clear blue, it seemed as though it was its own endless void. Her heart was in beat with her steps as the sun gave her smile a brighter glow.

She paused when she heard crying. Turning her head, she saw a little boy rubbing his eyes as he was facing upwards. His mom was also worriedly looking up, unsure of what to do. Mabel gazed up as well, and saw a cat stuck in a tree. It was gripping strongly onto the branch in fear.

The brunette ran over and crouched to the boy's height. She gave him a sympathetic smile as he stared at her with teary eyes. Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, she soothed, "I'll get your cat down for you."

Mabel stood up and turned to the cat. She held her arms out expectantly, and expressed pure, genuine affection on her face. The cat was hypnotized as his claws loosened on the branch. She let out a small sound of surprise as the cat hopped down into her arms. It purred while it's fluffy cheeks rubbed against her sleeves.

The citizens that stopped to watch were amazed. Mabel looked back at the boy, cat in her arms. She leaned down and released it, letting the cat nuzzle up against the boy's cheek lovingly. The mother grabbed her by her hand and shook it, "Is there anything I can thank you with?"

Mabel waved her other hand dismissively, "I love helping people, so don't think about it!"

As she skipped away from the woman and her son, the mother cried out, "What's your name?"

The young girl only stopped and turned, yelling out so everyone could hear, "Mabel Pines!"

Once more, she hummed as she continued around the town. Yes, it was now her habit to stop and help anyone who seemed to need assistance. It caused her to have such a warm and cozy feeling, she couldn't even help herself! Plus, it seemed as though more and more people would know her name, not that she minded.

Just then, she caught sight of her middle aged friend. Soos was heading somewhere, whistling an unfamiliar tune. She grinned and caught up to him, "Soos!"

He halted and took notice of her, "Oh, hey dude! I was just going out to eat lunch, wanna join?"

"I've already had my fill, but thanks for the offer!" She beamed, "Are you excited to try again today?! I'm really feeling it this time!"

As she twirled around with her limitless energy, Soos nervously chuckled, "Oh, yeah. About that…"

He sighed and rubbed his arm, "Listen, I kind've already have a girlfriend."

Mabel gasped and froze midway of her twirling, "What?! Who?! When?! How?!"

"Oh, uh, she's not really comfortable around people, except me, and I met her through… a dating website…?"

"Of course!" She slammed a fist onto her palm, "That's great Soos!"

"Yeah, I know right?"

"See, I knew you could do it! I'm glad all of our hardwork finally paid off!" Mabel held out her fist for him to fist bump. He did so with much less enthusiasm than she gave out.

Soos guiltily watched as she cheered. He cleared his throat, "I should go now, don't want my stomach eating my stomach."

"Bye Soos!"

As she waved quickly at him, he only waved back slowly. Once she skipped away to somewhere else, he groaned, "How could I lie to a kid? And she's my friend, too."

Soos sighed as he leaned down on the counter of the Meat Cute kiosk. Closing his eyes, he held up a finger, "One large ham on a stick please."

"Sure, coming right up," A feminine voice told him. Soon, his order was in his hand, and he began to eat it lazily. She let out a light giggle, "Rough day?"

"Yeah, terrible."

"Tell me about it."

"Crazy girl is upset with me, I lied to a little kid, what more?" He sighed, "I wish I had enough money to ride that train over there."

He pointed sadly at the small kids train, that was just beckoning him to ride. The girl was in awe, "Wow, you're a grown man and you want to ride a toy train?"

Soos stuttered, suddenly feeling embarrassed, "Well, yeah I mean, if it's there just… do it, right?"

"That's awesome!" She snickered, "I hate having to be an adult. Bills, selling meat, other stuff I don't want to do. I'd love to be a kid again."

"Really?" Soos looked up, still chewing his ham. He refrained from choking as he was jaw dropped at how pretty she was. The girl smiled sheepishly, "I'd tell you my name, but it's kind of embarrassing."

He straightened his back to look at her better, "Pfft, it can't be that bad."

"Fine, it's… Baldia."

Soos held a poker face, "That is a perfectly normal name."

She stared at him stunned, before bursting out into a chortle, "No, silly! That's not my real name!"

He was taken aback, "It isn't?!"

"Of course not," She grabbed her ponytail and combed her fingers through it, "it's Melody."

"Melody," He tested out, and she felt a blush arise on her face, "that's a pretty name. I'm Soos, but actually Jesus Ramirez. It's neat that you work at Meat Cute."

"Yes! Their meat is the meat of the century," She exclaimed, and he nodded in agreement. But then she remarked, "Plus, I need to get some money somehow."

Soos grinned, "I work as an engineer, I'm also the apprentice of McGucket."

"McGucket?" She gasped, "Fiddleford McGucket?! I've read all about him in the magazines when I was younger, he's amazing!"

Melody couldn't contain her eagerness, "He's practically my idol! I got my love for building from him!"

"You… love building, too?" Soos drew out.

"Yeah, although, I'm more of an architect, I design buildings in various cities."

"Did you see the latest design of the buildings in Roseburg? Those windows do not match the material of the wall." He sassily criticized.

"I totally agree," She told him, intrigued, "we can talk more about it tomorrow if you want, I get off of work at five."

"Depends, where can we meet up?"

"Only the best place here." Melody grinned.

They both excitedly spoke at the same time as they leaned in, "Hoo-Ha Owl's Pizzamatronic Jamboree!"

"Boom, done." He faked a gunshot with his finger.

She giggled again, and snuck two quarters into his hand, "See you later."

Soos watched as she exited the mall. The setting sun outlined her petite figure, giving her an angelic glow as she turned back to wave at him. He waved back, a goofy smile apparent on his face. He couldn't wait for tomorrow.

He happily climbed aboard the toy train, his head fantasizing the date he'd have with Melody. Date… he had a date! For the first time, he had a date! And with a really amazing, pretty girl who shared some common interest with him.

Sticking in the two quarters, he enjoyed the short time he had riding it, ignoring the stares and glares he got from passing citizens. Everything just seemed to be going his way now!

A flicker appeared in the train's screen, but he paid no mind.

Giffany's programmed heart was filled with betrayal and hatred. Earlier, she was upset, but not to this extent. And to think she was about to forgive him!

She wanted to surprise Soos while he was eating lunch. She wanted to reveal to him that she could be so much more than a game on a computer. But is this where he went to everyday?! Talking to some fleshy brat that was **nothing** compared to her?!

Perhaps, he isn't to blame. It's that girl! She's brainwashing him!

That girl 'Melody' knew nothing about Soos! Giffany would be the only person to truly understand him, and he understood who she was. He proclaimed his love for her, and he meant it! Soos would only ever need her, and not that chubby waste of species! She wouldn't let that lady take Soos away from her! Not her, and not anyone...

Her expression was dark, her eyes were dim as she watched him through the glass. Hiding in the far corner of the screen, she felt a tingling sensation course through her pixelated body. With another flicker, she was gone.

* * *

 **Just what is Giffany up to? Hopefully nothing too much! ;)**

 **Our great uncles are in a bit of a lovestruck pickle, I wonder who Darlene will pick. Poor Dipper, embrace the awkward old romance!**

 **Em dashes are really—really—fun to do! I'm glad I got that covered up.**

 **Thanks for reading on, pce!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Oh my, it's already the 20th chapter?! And it's a bit lengthy, as well. It's almost like it was just yesterday where the twins were moving into Gravity Falls.**

 **Aqua Burst 07: You spoil me rotten! Thaaaaaaank you, thank you, so much!**

 **Joker the prince of all crime: Why, I happen to like Giffany very much as well because of her personality, design, and voice. A perfect fit for the role I have for her! And thank you very much, good luck on your story. "Until next time!" :P**

 **Domination(Guest): Yes, I try! Thank you!**

 **For all my constant readers; my followers and favoriters and reviewers, THANK YOU!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

Dipper's eye twitched as he sat on the couch.

Come to my place, she said. Why don't we eat lunch there, she said.

Yeah, right.

For the last who knows how long, his two great uncles have both been trying to one up each other with their techniques of getting a girl. Darlene did not appear to mind one bit, and actually seemed to be baiting them into doing it.

"Darlene," Ford mentioned dramatically, "you have such a… darling name."

He was holding the stupidest grin that Stan and Dipper have ever seen. But Darlene laughed loudly, causing a burst of pride in Ford. She slapped her thigh, and wheezed near the end of her laughter. Stan grumbled, before a light bulb appeared over his head.

"Say, are you from Tennessee?" He smirked, "Because you're the only ten I see."

Darlene burst out laughing again, and Dipper groaned. This was seriously getting annoying to his ears now. It was the same thing over and over again. His great uncles make some dumb romantic gesture and she laughs really loudly. After she calmed down, he spoke up, "Can we eat yet?"

"Oh, right," Darlene stood up and stretched, "I completely forgot! These two are just so enjoyable to be around, I forgot I was hungry."

"Actually, I'm not that hungry yet," Stan remarked. Ford also replied, "Me either."

Darlene smiled sweetly, "Well, then, you can help yourself to whatever you'd like in the fridge, Dipper. I'll just take two of these handsome men to enjoy a nice walk around nature."

"She's talking about me," Stan whispered to Ford, who only hissed back, "She meant both of us!"

"Fine, whatever," Dipper got up and marched away from the three, who paid him no mind.

Darlene beckoned the twins to follow her outside the cabin. Stan and Ford blindly did so, not taking note of where they were going as the three traveled deeper into the forest. All they were doing was concentrating their efforts on impressing the beautiful woman that was in between them. Darlene humored them, making sure to keep their focus on her.

Suddenly, she stopped, and collapsed onto the fallen trunk of a tree that was beside them. She fanned herself with her hand and crossed her legs, while holding herself up with her other hand. Darlene breathlessly spoke, "My, I need a breather. I can barely hold up with my old age."

"Why, you don't look a day over twenty." Stan took the opportunity, and sat on one side of her, "Here, let me help you."

He used one arm to hold her up, and she shot him a grateful smile. Stan haughtily smirked at Ford, who clenched his fists enviously. Sitting on the other side of her, Ford began to fan her with his large hands, "I'll help as well."

It only took a few moments, but she regained her posture and sat up straighter. With a sigh, she abruptly held both of the great uncles by their chins, and caressed them gently. They were shocked into statues as she cutely whined, "Oh, both of you are so worthy of becoming mine. I can't bear to choose between either of you."

Stan and Ford frowned momentarily, they didn't want to enter a polygamous relationship. And she liked both of them? That'd just be weird if she only chose one while harboring feelings for the other.

Although, they were puzzled when she smirked and tightened her hold on their chins. Now, it started to hurt.

"I'll just have to take both of you, then."

Her eyes slid into shiny, black orbs, and her entire bottom half of her body became that of a spider's. Ford spluttered, "Y-You're an arachnimorph?!"

Stan spat, "Aw, that's sick! You liked a spider, Poindexter!"

"You did too, you dumb—!"

Ford was swiftly wrapped up in white silk, unable to finish his sentence. His entire body was thickly covered, and the silk broke off from her with a sickening snap. She grinned insanely, "Your turn!"

Stan's manly shriek could be widely heard, causing a flock birds to fly elsewhere.

Dipper shot his head from out of the fridge, not like there was anything edible in it anyways. Which was pretty weird, in his opinion. He closed the door and called out, "Grunkle Stan, Grunkle Ford, is that you?"

The boy received no answer. No matter, they shouldn't even be around here anymore. He didn't want to imagine what they may be doing around the deep, dark parts of the forest. Bored, he wandered around the cabin, observing all the furniture and accessories she had in the house.

It was odd, however, because there was no pictures. No pictures of any supposed relatives or family, or even of her. Dipper now felt uneasy at the emptiness of the room and halls. It was just bland, along with plain, dull, scratched up wallpaper.

He narrowed his eyes at the visible thin silk in the corner of the room. A tiny spider was innocently threading as it went along. Dipper observed, interested.

It wasn't long until a thump was heard from behind him. He snapped his head around, only to find nothing. Dipper scowled as the tension seemed to increase. Was he just paranoid? There was definitely something off.

Cautiously peeking out his head to the living room, the boy gulped nervously, "Darlene…?"

There was no one in the room. The grandfather clock was ticking, constantly turning it's small hand, occasionally turning the minute hand. The heavy uneasiness that rested on his shoulders was almost unbearable. Why did he feel like this?

"AGH!"

Dipper yelped as the window broke open. But there was nothing that came inside, resulting in him to becoming more apprehensive. He warily drew closer, each slow step he took would creak against the wooden floorboards. Sweat trailed down his temple as he finally reached the open window.

The forest greeted him casually as the sky was still dyed a vibrant orange and pinkish hue. There was nothing out of the ordinary, and actually appeared quite peaceful. Dipper sighed at his paranoia, and decided to try and take his mind off of it. He examined the pine trees in the distance, there were thick and well rounded, and as green as ever.

He wiped off the sweat that ran down, but became frustrated when there was still more. He grabbed a towel that was held up for him, and muttered a 'thank you.'

Wait, what?

On reflex, Dipper backflipped away from his original spot. He looked up to see a giant spider body, and Darlene attached to it.

"Ew!" Dipper stuck his tongue out in disgust. Darlene was taken aback, offended, "How rude of you, little boy. I gave you a towel!"

Dipper frantically wiped his hands and face, "With your slimy, spider hands? That's disgusting!"

"My hands are still human!"

Dipper glared at her, before his face lit up in recognition, "Where are my great uncles?"

Darlene tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Well, I remembered I was hungry, and they were there."

"You ate them?!" Dipper's face contorted to rage, "I'll kill you!"

"My, my, such violent words for someone so young, and to your elders, too?" Darlene smirked, "You'll need to be taught a lesson."

She launched at him, and he hurriedly ducked, leaving her to slam against the walls. While Darlene shook of her dizziness, he quickly thought up an escape. Jumping out the window, he ran into the thick, unknown forest with a maniacal cackle echoing behind him.

After a minute or two of running, Dipper pushed himself against a tree, and hastily pulled out Ford's journal from his vest. He flipped constantly through the pages, his eyes were darting left to right, skimming each of them. Something about spider humans, anything, had to be in this book!

"Aha!" He cheered.

Dipper pointed his finger down on the page as he rapidly scanned the information. Arachnimorphs, they were called, were extremely strong predators that possessed all the qualities of a spider. Even though much of the species died out, there were still some left.

"Oh, so you're around here somewhere, aren't ya?" Darlene stormed into the vicinity. She began checking behind all the trees, making sure to get her silk or acid spray ready.

He stifled the urge to sound out his frustration when he didn't find a weakness. Perhaps it was hidden? Taking out the small light, Dipper was momentarily stunned to discover the invisible ink that was written over the original text.

"You're scared," She licked her lips as she peeked over another tree, "I can smell fear."

He cheered again when he found the weakness, perfect!

Darlene peeked over another tree…

Well, he thought, it was almost perfect.

...but there was nothing there. She gritted her teeth and shouted, "Come out, come out, little boy!"

The weakness was what spiders died against everyday objects, such as shoes, slippers, newspapers, other objects worth killing a spider with. Dipper wondered if he could just kill it with his sword. I mean, it could work as a big knife, maybe, possibly? It was probably just better to do that.

Dipper shoved both the journal and light back into his vest. Summoning his sword in his hand, he exhaled deeply, preparing to jump out and face her head on.

"Oh," Darlene spoke from above him, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

He inhaled sharply and rolled out of the way from the green liquid the sprayed out of her mouth. Acid spit, it seemed to be. How gross could she get?

Dipper attempted to charge at her, but she only spat at him again, causing him to recoil. He frowned at the distance made between them, how could he get closer? She'd have to run out of her acid soon. He picked up a tiny rock, plan in mind.

Readjusting his grip on his sword, he charged at the spider woman. She puffed her cheeks and prepared to spit at him again, but he swiftly hurled the rock as her. It missed its intended target, and instead hit her leg. She squeezed her eyes in pain, causing her to shoot carelessly.

Dipper dodged her spit and rose his sword to slice her leg. To his misfortune, Darlene recollected her thoughts faster than he desired. She moved out of the swing, before knocking the sword out of his hand. Like lightning, he was pinned to the ground, the wind knocked out of him. His hat flew off his head, landing elsewhere.

"Might as well give up now," She taunted. Her legs were like iron chains against his limbs as she held him down. Leaning closer to his face, she stroked his hair covering his forehead, tracing his now visible birthmark. Darlene said mockingly, "Such a shame, I'm sure you had some potential here, just like your amazing great uncles."

He clenched his teeth and fists, before drawing his head back. With all his might, Dipper threw his head forward, colliding hard with Darlene's. She yowled and mindlessly swung her sharp leg that was on his forehead. Darlene stumbled back and moaned in pain, holding her hands to her forehead. He wasn't much better, the impact left him blurry vision and wobbling on his feet. Yet, he still jeered, "Take that, you hideous freak!"

However, he couldn't tolerate the effects for so long. As he fell to his knees, she bellowed a roar and charged at him. With a raise of her sharp legs, she intended to dice him into itty, bitty pieces.

The loud, thundering cracks of falling trees reverberated around the area, and rang in her sensitive ears. She profusely shook her head as the headache that boy brought onto her now became worse. But it left her vulnerable to attack.

Darlene didn't have the moment to jump out of the way as the trees landed and stacked on top of her. Dipper squeezed his eyes as dirt flew in all directions, and opened them to gape at the sight. The spider woman was trapped underneath the trees, and was currently struggling to break free. There were two trees, formed in a convenient 'X' with her in this intersection.

"How?!" She shrieked. Dipper panted slowly, taking in deep breaths. His attention switched to another rustling in the bushes.

Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford stumbled out, white silk visibly lingering on their bodies. Stan had blood dripping down his scratched up fists, along with his bronze knuckles. As he went towards Darlene, Ford rushed next to Dipper, "Do you need a vial?"

"Not really, I just have a bit of a headache," Dipper weakly chuckled, and Ford frowned at his obliviousness. Crimson red blood streamed down his grandnephew's face from his forehead. Ford pushed his bangs back to check out his wound.

"So," Stan placed his hands on his hips and glowered down at Darlene, "look who's helpless once again."

"Oh, Stanley" She drew circles in the dirt and pouted, "I don't know what I was thinking, can't you understand?"

"Nice try, you witch. But you hurt my family, and I won't let that pass."

She took off her innocent facade, "Tch! How did you get out anyways?!"

"Your silk can't stop the ability to summon our weapons," He smirked, and she scorned, "You're a Soul Fighter?"

"One of the greats, if I do say so myself," Stan proudly held a hand to his chest.

"Dipper!"

Stan twisted his head around to see his grandnephew was unconscious and bleeding, and Ford rushing out his healing potion from his trench coat. Stan dashed to them and kneeled, "What's… wrong…?"

A large gash was made right above his birthmark. Dipper had already lost quite a lot of blood in his head, which knocked him out. Ford commanded, "Hold him up!"

Stan complied without hesitation. Ford popped open the vial and forced Dipper to chug it down. Within minutes, his injury had healed, leaving only a faint scar. Blood stuck to the grass and the great uncle's hands. Dipper's clothes was also dirtied red, yet he was now breathing peacefully, his face was relaxed.

The two older twins sighed in relief, but turned their heads around at Darlene's shout, "Now that's he's all good, you think I can get a little help now?"

Stan hoisted Dipper onto his back as Ford also stood up. He snarled, "You need more than just a little help."

They left the dumbstruck arachnimorph to wither alone and ensnared.

Mabel happily swung her feet above the ground as she sat on the porch of the shack, even though a small part of her worried for her family since the stars were already shining in the dark sky. Her great uncles and brother should be returning about any time now. She couldn't wait to spill the news to her brother! Soos had a girlfriend, and she had a date to the fair!

Her face brightened at the sight of the approaching shadowed figures that outlined her great uncles. But it swiftly fell when she recognized her brother. He was out cold on Stan's back. Hopping off, she raced to meet them halfway, "What happened?"

"Spider woman happened." Ford briskly explained as they went inside the shack. Mabel furrowed her eyebrows, "But I thought she was a good person?"

"I think you mean Spiderman, sweetie," Stan replied, before going into the kitchen to get a cup of water.

Ford elaborated as he set Dipper on the couch chair, "We went against a woman that can turn into a giant spider, or to be more technical, arachnimorph."

Mabel's face twisted in disgust as she asked, "How did Dipper get hurt then?"

Stan walked back in and set the cup down on the side table. He scratched the back of his head and sighed, "It was our fault, the woman was too alluring."

"Of course," Ford hurriedly interjected before Mabel could say anything, "that was before we knew that she was a yucky, hazardous spider and not the woman we hoped she was."

Mabel hesitated briefly, but then smiled warmly, "...I understand. But will Dipper be okay?"

"Nothing too badly had happened, and plus, we made him drink a healing potion," Stan informed her, "Although, we shouldn't had let ourselves get carried away in the first place."

He and Stan both grimaced at the angry growl of their starved stomachs. Right, they hadn't even eaten any lunch like Darlene had offered. They wondered for a moment if Dipper actually ate anything.

Ford added, "He should be waking up right about… now."

Dipper's eyes tightened, before he fluttered them open. Holding a hand to his pounding head, he turned to his family that was watching him expectantly. It wasn't long until Mabel brought him into a strong embrace.

She released him, and he squinted his eyes, "What's goin' on?"

"You went unconscious after all the blood loss," Ford clarified, "A headache is probably all you'll feel for now."

"Just lay down," Stan told him, and Ford got on his feet, "I'll go make some dinner."

Dipper nodded numbly and rested his head against the cushion. Stan excused himself to clean off the blood and grime that caked his body and clothes. Mabel clapped her hands excitedly after everything seemed to be cleared up, "So, I have some pretty interesting news!"

Her brother mustered up an engaged expression as she updated him on news, "Soos has a girlfriend now! I know, isn't it great?"

She didn't bother waiting for him to respond, seeing that he only wanted to nod in comprehension, "Although, I have no idea how's she's like or who she is, but she must be a great choice!"

Mabel then leaned in, eyes twinkling, "Also, another really awesome thing! Are you ready? Are you sure? Wait for it! Wait…!"

She threw her arms up and grinned from ear to ear, "I have a date to the Valentine's Day fair!"

Dipper eyes widened slightly, and he inquired, "Who is it?"

"Obviously the best I could get, not to brag," She smirked and brushed nonexistent dust off her shoulders, "Bill!"

"...Cipher?" Dipper finished hesitantly.

"Cipher!" She confirmed with a single nod.

Dipper's face slowly—ever so slowly—transformed from mildly interested, to outright horror, until it finally stopped at complete appalled rage.

He gradually shook his head in denial and disapproval, but she only fought against it with an open mouth grin while nodding her head excessively. Both of them refused to stop until the other did.

"Kids, time for—"

Ford walked inside the room as he held up a spatula, only to behold the sight infront of him. He arched an eyebrow, "What's going on here?"

"Grunkle Ford!" Dipper suddenly called, "Can you tell Mabel that she can't go on her date?!"

Before the great uncle could ask what in the world was he talking about, Mabel still held her upbeat attitude, "Grunkle Ford! Can you tell him that it will be perfectly fine?!"

Both twins gazed up at him, using their eyes to plead for his approval. Ford puckered his lips, "Huh?"

"Mabel has a date with Bill Cipher!" Dipper quickly told him, a foreboding tone in his voice, and Ford yelped, "WHAT?"

"Dipper, don't say it like it's a curse!" Mabel puffed her cheeks, "He won't try anything on me, probably. Besides, we made a deal, he's my valentine and he can do… whatever at the fair."

"WHAT?" Ford yelled again, causing Stan to run downstairs with a towel tied around his waist. Both of the younger twins screamed in revulsion as water dripped down his hairy chest. Even though they were currently in a dispute, they shielded each other's eyes from the scarring sight.

Stan only glared, before heading back upstairs, grumbling about ungrateful kids, and that his chest hairs were manly.

The screams died out, and Ford pinched his nose bridge, "Okay, as much as I am against this, I don't want to be too… overbearing."

"Grunkle Ford!" Dipper complained, but Ford only waved his spatula around, "Aren't you the one who said we should give her a chance?"

"But… with Bill?"

"No, not like that, even though it seems to be that way," Ford grimaced, "But just so she can prove herself to be safe on her own."

Dipper opened his mouth to protest more, but he couldn't when Mabel was staring at him with hopeful puppy eyes. Ford looked between the two of them, and backed away slowly, "You two can talk it out."

The twins were left by themselves in the living room. Dipper fiddled with his fingers as Mabel looked at anywhere but him. He finally spoke up, "You know, I'm just worried."

"You're always worried," Mabel frowned as she poked in between his eyebrows, "You're gonna start to get wrinkles right around here."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Okay," Dipper slapped her hand away, "but that's only because you make me worry a lot!"

"Sorry you love me so much," She rolled her eyes, "Don't you trust me, Dipper?"

He pursed his lips, "I want to, but it's not that easy. Just thinking about it… he's a demon, with potentially innocent blood on his hands and an unknown background. For all you know, he could be trying to take your soul!"

"That's all possible," She admitted, "but somehow, I can just tell that he isn't intending to do that, or that he hasn't does as much bad as he wanted to in his life."

He was about to interrupt, but she kept going, "And I know this is crazy risky and totally illogical, but I can just feel that this is okay; that he's okay. It's really weird, but I can."

Dead silence reigned over the room. Mabel defiantly looked into her brother's eyes, while he tried his last effort of trying to change her mind. With a reluctant sigh, he caved in, "Alright, alright, alright, just... be careful, okay?"

She grinned, "Careful is my middle name!"

"No it's not."

"But thank you, anyways!" Mabel pulled him up and tugged him to the dinner table, "Now let's go eat, I'm starved!"

* * *

The next day, Soos double checked every corner, making sure that anyone he knew was nowhere in sight, especially the twins. He was dejected at the thought of this being his first date, and he couldn't even share the celebration with his friends. But they couldn't find out about his little… issue. Atleast, not yet!

Last night and this morning, Giffany didn't show up at all. He actually forgot that she existed until he had accidentally saw the videogame case lying on his computer desk. How skeptical that she didn't pop up at all, not even one hello. Well, maybe her software burned out. Whatever the outcomes possible that she died off didn't bother him one bit.

"Boo!" Melody spooked from behind him.

He flinched in surprise, before turning around to face her, "Hey Melody."

Soos attempted to discreetly analyze her outfit, before he tugged at his collar, "You look very pretty."

She felt her face turn red again as he began to panic, did he say something wrong? "I mean, you always look pretty! But if you don't like to look pretty then who am I to decide? Woman's rights to decide, right? Am I right or am I wrong?"

His voice grew a bit louder at the end, causing a few heads to turn their way. He earned one or two whoops from the side that strongly agreed with his last statement. Melody giggled, "Thanks, Soos. We should head inside now, I can smell the pizza from here!"

She grabbed him by the wrist, and led him inside the kids' building. The smell of cheap plastic, branded pizza, and parents' tears at their hard earned money being spent on arcade tokens filled their noses. The place was varied in color, yet still portrayed a darker theme. Farther back into the large room was the stage, and the animatronics were rocking with their fake instruments. Children of all ages were shouting their praises and worship for them below the front of the stage.

Ah, everything was so very nostalgic for Soos. Yet, as they were seated at a table with a booth, Melody also smiled as she looked around, "This place hasn't changed at all! I mean, there's still this piece of chewed gum on the corner of the table from when I was younger!"

A waiter boredly introduced himself. Soon, their order was taken, and it wouldn't take long for it to arrive.

Soos leaned in closer to inspect the gum, "That's so cool."

She also leaned in, "I know right?"

The two burst out into small chuckles, ignoring the odd looks they got from kids and adults alike. Unbeknownst to them, another pair of eyes was jealously glaring daggers.

"You came to Gravity Falls before?" Soos asked, and she responded, "Yeah, but only for a really short periods from time to time. In fact, in a few days I'll be—"

"Here's your pizza," The waiter interrupted. Both of the young adults were watering at the delicious sight of the glistening pizza. They dug in, eating their share as they exchanged stories of their life and never ending their conversation.

But faster than they desired, the pizza was already gone from the platter and in their stomachs. She reached out and grabbed his hand, "You wanna start playing some of the games now?"

A flicker in the screen above them went unnoticed.

"Always."

They both grinned, and left their booth like giddy little children. The rocking music in the background added more momentum in their hype. All the arcade game were just begging to be played! Dance Dance Revolution, the two player shooting games, the fighting games, the driving games, they didn't let any of it go unplayed!

Glitches and errors were left in their wake.

"Here!" Melody dragged him inside the photo booth. They portrayed silly faces, serious pictures, and casual poses in each of the images that slid out. Both of them had their own set of pictures to keep. While she was cooing at the pictures, Soos caught sight of one of the most difficult, frustrating, money hungry games.

"Look!" Soos pointed in front of them. Melody gasped, "No… not that one!"

He shook his head, "I must do it."

"You don't have to, it's too dangerous!"

"But I will," He clenched his fist and placed it on his chest.

"You are a brave, brave man, Soos," She placed a hand on his shoulder and looked down. Abruptly, they both raced to the machine, and stuck the quarters inside.

Soos stuck his tongue out as he concentrated on the crane. He had to feel the crane, he had to be the crane. Melody also breathed against the glass as he was using the crane. A collection of different adorable stuffed were mocking them, unable to be reached easily.

He pressed the button and lowered the crane down… which failed to grab anything.

It was almost as if they could hear the chorus of laughter that rang from inside of the case. Melody coaxed, "It's okay Soos, let's just go shoot more zombies."

He held her wrist, "No, this will prove my worth. I must succeed."

She gazed up at him in admiration and endearment, and he stuck in more quarters. With a firm grip on the joystick, he maneuvered the crane skillfully, ignoring the imaginary taunting insults from the toys.

Pressing the button once the crane was in place, both of them pressed their faces against the glass. Hope was sparkling in their wide eyes. The crane opened its claws, and grabbed a toy!

A colorful, stuffed owl was dropped into the opening, letting the awaiting pair take it. Soos held it up and declared as Melody cheered from beside him, "I am victorious!"

"Yeah, yeah," The employee uttered, "and I have to go home. Goodbye, now."

The closing of the building ended way too early, they believed. In the midst of their fun, all the other customers gradually left for some reason until it was just them. Soos and Melody stood outside the building, seeing each other off. She cleared her throat, "That was a lot of fun."

"The most I've ever had," Soos revealed. He rubbed his arm, "Do you wanna… go out with me again?"

"Like… as another date?" She asked, and he nodded.

A spark occurred in the lamppost over the couple, undetected.

She tugged her hair behind her ear and let out a small smile, "I'd love to."

"Tomorrow, there's gonna be a fair," Soos held out the owl plush, "Will you be my valentine?"

"Only if you'd be mine," She carefully took it out of his hands. With a burst of courage, and a slight height boost from her tippy toes, she pecked him on the cheek. He burned red as she waved, "See you tomorrow, Soos."

He waved back with a goofy grin. She let out a happy sigh, but placed a hand on face. Melody whispered, "I should've told him…"

Soos was exhilarated, was this how actual love felt like? He bursted inside his home, making his grandmother let out a small noise of fright. Abuelita was a bit surprised when her grandson suddenly lifted her up and swung her around in merriment. He rejoiced, "I found her, I found a girl!"

He took out the pictures from his pocket to show her, and she smiled, "She seems like a nice girl. Very pretty, too."

"I'll be taking her out on another date tomorrow," He proclaimed confidently, "At the Valentine's Day fair!"

His grandmother gripped his hand lightly, and looked up at him, "I knew you could do it, Soos."

Soos covered her hand with his other one and smiled back. Abuelita let him go, "I was just about to go out to meet some friends, good night."

"Night!" He called from behind her retreating figure. Making into his room, he closed the door and sighed contently.

"Glad you had a **nice** time," Giffany spoke sourly from the computer screen. The background was dark, with a hue of red. Soos was taken aback, "Giffany! You're back!"

"Oh, where would I ever go?" She hid her hands behind her back, "The real question is, where have **you** been?"

Soos gulped, "Hey, it's pretty cool how you're controlling your voice like that—"

"Answer the question, Soos!" Giffany shouted, causing the lights in his room to suddenly shut off. Soos stood against the door of his room while directly across from him was the lit up monitor. Her expression was dark and accusing, and he felt himself grew more nervous.

She curled her fingers into a fist and cried out, "All this time I've been here for you, and you **leave** me to date some lower class freak?!"

"How do you know about that…?" Soos questioned for a moment, before setting a firmer tone, "Do not call Melody a freak!"

" **Oh** , what can I call her then?!" Giffany screamed in rage, "A thief?! Trash? Fiend? Fathead? Slut?"

"You can call her my girlfriend!" He yelled at her, and she widened her eyes in shock. Soos snarled, "There was nothing between the two of us anyways, so just go away!"

The dark room fell into a dreaded silence. Giffany downcasted her head, causing Soos to wonder if he had persuaded her. But it was far from it, as he could faintly hear her, "Hah… ha ha."

"You're funny, Soos," Giffany rose her head to smile cutely, "I always liked you for your humor."

"Well, I'm not kidding." Soos scowled at her. Her face fell, " **Why...?** "

Her shoulders shook as she curved her lips into an ugly sneer, "You said you **loved me!** You **love me!** "

Soos held his stand, "I lied."

"No, no, **no** , **no** , **NO!** " She banged on the glass, hard, " **YOU LOVE ME** , **ONLY ME!** "

Giffany continuously banged her fists on the screen as pixelated tears rained from her eyes. Her face was no longer what he saw the first time he met her. It was awful, obsessive, and darkly the truth of her personality. " **I LOVE YOU SOOS!** "

He couldn't take any more of this nonsense! Soos marched to his computer, fully prepared to shut her down. She kept going, however, " **YOU'RE MINE, YOU HEAR?!** "

With a long press of his finger, the computer began to turn off. The screen faded to black, with Giffany still staring at him with betrayal and possessiveness in her eyes. Before the computer completely turned off, her voice remained, " **MINE…!** "

Soos stood still in the pitch black room, then crumbled onto his bed. It was all over now… right?

* * *

Mornings were supposed to be the start of a brand new day, right? Weren't they supposed to be the beginning of new opportunities for happiness?

Well, she was definitely not happy.

Pacifica examined in disbelief of the sudden rise of energy levels on the radar. A large, red splat was apparent on the screen. How? She had no idea. When? Just last night, it seemed.

On the map, it appeared to be a small house. She zoomed in, the global image was of a dainty, simple house with various objects in the front lawn. It rang no bells in her mind, since it never was a target for suspicion.

McGucket, who was also in the room, choked on his coffee, "That's Soos' house!"

"Your apprentice?" She asked, and he reassured her with a nod. She threw her hands up, "Then what the heck is he doing?!"

"I don't know! He came to work yesterday!" McGucket replied defensively, "He was concerned about girl problems, and that's all!"

Pacifica ran her fingers through her hair, already feeling a migraine, "If he comes today, talk to him. I'm gonna send some people to check it out. And I'll set the town on guard."

McGucket followed along, before inquiring, "There's a fair today, should we tell the mayor to cancel it?"

As much as she wanted to stop that horrid fair, she couldn't create more big scenes. Pacifica sighed, "No, let it proceed."

McGucket saluted, before exiting the conference room. Pacifica was left alone with her thoughts.

She grunted, "I hate Valentine's Day."

* * *

 **Heyooo! Consider this an early Christmas present, or a present in general if Christmas isn't your thing. Happy holidays!**

 **I'm not confident this is entirely necessary but I do not own Spiderman or other superheroes of Marvel or DC.**

 **Don't worry about Dipper's birthmark, it's still completely intact! Mabel can be quite convincing when she wants to be, huh? Or maybe they all just have a soft spot for her. I mean, wouldn't you if you would ever know her? I know I would.**

 **The arc's almost finished, let's see how it ends. Stay tuned!**


	21. Chapter 21

**queen-elizardbeth: and may I say, welcome, and THANK YOU VERY MUCH!**

 **Personally, I'm not one to be against Valentine's Day. But sometimes it can be a little bit of "in your face" kind've thing, you know?**

 **Ah, yes, I was feeling a bit deprived myself of a certain ship and I just really wanted some more because i'm selfish like that so, please, do enjoy! ;)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

Soos popped one eye open, and then the other. There was no infuriated, high pitched voice that was screaming at him. And his computer was turned off, just as he put it last night. He waited a few moments, but it was apparent that Giffany would not be showing up. Perhaps, he did get rid of her!

Soos pressed the eject button on his computer and stuck the disk back into its case. Stuffing the case into his pocket, he intended to get some answers today. Unbeknownst to him, a spark flew out of the disk and back into the computer.

He strode to the academy, a slight skip in his step. This fine, sunny day was Valentine's Day! If he hadn't remembered on his own—although he definitely did because of a certain someone—then the excessive amount of red and pink in the town would have jogged his memory. And would you look at that, he had a valentine!

He plucked a few roses from a bush, on the sign beside it read 'Free for Today!' Inhaling the natural scent, he twirled and handed one to every person he passed by.

One to a woman, who shrieked, "I'm married!"

One to a baby, and the mother shouted angrily, "That rose has thorns on it!"

One to an adolescent, "I'M ALLERGIC TO ROSES!"

And one to a man, "Yes, yes I do accept!"

"Whoa, I was just being friendly!"

Soos quickly escaped the awkwardness of the now dejected man.

He burst through the doors, a grin still on his face. The sudden bang caused the students to jerk their heads to him, not that he cared. Nothing was in his way to his path towards happiness! He was like a soaring dove, rising for everyone to see!

Soos didn't even notice the cowering of the students as their headmistress marched her way to him.

"Ramirez!" She snapped, a chill was exerting from her being. All the warmth that Soos brought into the building seemed nonexistent now. One of the students sneezed while the others shivered. She commanded, "Go to the conference room."

Soos stopped in his tracks, perplexed, "Why—?"

Her icy glare and steely voice sent a shudder hammering throughout his entire being.

" _Now_."

Without another thought, he blabbered an apology and rushed to the room she directed him to.

Pacifica didn't need any obstacles or faults in her orders today. It was annoying enough that it was Valentine's Day today, but this had to happen, too? Her entire plan of sitting in her room in the dark watching cliche movies that people didn't need to know she watched and eating ice cream was now completely ruined! Thanks to whatever his house had possessed to release a dangerous amount of energy. Fantastic!

"M-Miss," A woman uttered from behind her. Pacifica whipped her head around, and the lady let out an unprofessional squeak, "The search t-team is back."

"Good," The blonde replied briskly. She waved her hand to shoo her away, and the woman gladly did so.

With a quick sharp glare to another sneeze in the huddled up crowd, she left to obtain the new update on the phenomenon.

Soos entered the conference room silently, but his mentor immediately recognized him. He gestured him to take a seat, and the younger man did so with haste. The rest of the room was empty, and the beeping of the large screen faintly echoed.

"I forgot the headmistress hates Valentine's Day," Soos held his head worriedly, "I thought she was about to bite my head off!"

"It's a mystery why she does, but that isn't the issue here," McGucket rubbed his temples, "I'll get straight to the point."

Soos fìdgeted in his chair as his mentor inquired, "Why was there a sudden burst of energy at your house?"

"I…" Soos squinted, "have no idea. And there was?"

"Yes, the proof is on the radar." McGucket pointed to the large screen that was behind him. Soos looked over to check it out. Huh, he was right.

"Well, sorry, I don't know have a clue as to how that happened."

"None, whatsoever?" McGucket pried, but Soos only shrugged. The older man brushed his beard, "Well, are you aware of any dark entity that may be or had been residing in your house?"

"Nope, not at all," Soos answered. McGucket sat down beside his apprentice and tried to think of a logical reason to this. Soos claimed to not see or feel any evil that his house may have contained. So without any evidence, what was there to stop?

Soos reached into his pocket and pulled out a plastic case, "But I do want to ask about this."

His mentor glanced up, before letting out a shocked expression. McGucket snatched the case out of his hand, "Where did you get this?!"

"From the box of junk you threw out!" Soos held his hands up innocently. Fiddleford twisted and turned the item, before opening it. The disk was inside, and he inquired, "Did you play it?"

Soos lightly patted his thigh for a moment, then stopped, "...Yes?"

McGucket slapped a hand to his forehead, "Oh, Soos—"

"What? How was I supposed to know that the game contained some nutty, bipolar girl?"

"You didn't know," Fiddleford shook his head, "But I really wish you hadn't played it."

"It's okay, right? I took out the game!"

"No, it's not, unfortunately," McGucket glowered, "From the moment that you inserted her into your computer, she had the ability to move wherever she wanted, as long as it was electronic."

"Why is she like that, anyways?"

McGucket didn't answer. Instead, he took the disk out, and dropped it to the floor. His shoe slammed down onto the disk, breaking it into fragments. Soos furrowed his eyebrows, "Why did you do that?"

"Just watch." McGucket ordered as he stepped away from the remains.

They both observed as it unexpectedly began to glow a dark haze. The pieces vibrated and shone, before connecting to each other. Altogether, it formed its original shape; a perfectly rounded disk with no scratch marks or lack of luster.

Soos stuttered in disbelief, "W-What?"

"Dark soul energy." Fiddleford explained, "A long time ago, there were these developers that attempted to make the best dating software they could, using real, emotional feeling."

"How did they get that?"

"With the best source they could obtain," Fiddleford stared him down, "A human girl."

Soos bit back a gasp as his mentor continued to tell him the story.

"But it went wrong, and the game basically became a ghost story."

"I see," Soos nodded in understanding, but questioned, "So, why did you have it…?"

"It was assigned to me in secret to be destroyed, yet I could never find a way to destroy it," Fiddleford sighed, "I was young and foolish. I didn't want to have people know of my failure. So I hid it away, and eventually forgot about it."

He voiced out his critical thinking, "All these years, she was locked away in solitude while accumulating dark energy. She'll be extremely unstable as well as highly dangerous."

"You're saying she can come out and hurt us?"

"Well, how do you think she escaped from her creators?"

"Ooh," Soos realized, "right."

"And now, you opened it up and played it," McGucket's voice was steadily showing his aggravation, "So she is desperately clinging to you to satiate her deprived contact with another person."

A moment of silence passed. Fiddleford tapped on the table irritably, "Does that mean that the girlfriend you told me about is a psychotic, controlling computer glitch?"

"At first I was," Soos confessed, "because I didn't think I would find an actual girl. I was willing to give myself to Giffany."

Fiddleford was surprised at the younger man's words, "But I did find a girl, and her name is Melody. I really, really like her, and I'm taking her out again tonight at the fair."

"You finally found a girl, huh?"

"Yeah," Soos smiled sheepishly, "and I feel like she may be… what they call, 'the one'?"

McGucket's irked expression softened, as a sense of pride and satisfaction swelled in his chest.

Suddenly, the doors slammed open. Pacifica stormed over and crossed her arms, "They didn't find anything except an old woman. Did he say what happened?"

"He didn't know," Fiddleford stood up, "But I do."

"Wait, did you raid my house?"

Ignoring Soos, Pacifica asked, "So what's going on?"

"An evil program named Giffany is now on the loose," Fiddleford informed her, and she arched an eyebrow, "What can she do?"

He grimaced, "She can manifest herself into electronics and has the ability to physically harm people. It's best to make sure she doesn't escape Gravity Falls."

"And how do we stop her?"

"Frankly, I do not exactly know, and I'll make sure to research that with some help." McGucket admitted, and she sighed.

"I'll go tell the mayor to shut down any connections leading outside the town, then," Pacifica turned on her heel and left. Soos also got up, "So, what should I do?"

"Nothing, just take over my work," Fiddleford reached the door, "We'll handle it, Soos. Just go enjoy your date tonight."

"But, sir—"

"You deserve to relax, I know how hard you've been trying to find someone to love," He responded. Soos only shook his head, "This is my fault, I want to help at least a little bit! Especially when you're also risking yourself to stop her."

"Soos, this isn't your fault," Before he left, he divulged solemnly, "It's mine."

* * *

Stan clapped his grandnephew's back, "So, after all those hours of waiting, did you figure out what we're doing today?"

"Uh, no," Dipper replied, "And where has Grunkle Ford been?"

"At the academy, apparently helping out with something of the sort, who knows?" Stan shrugged, before dragging him outside, "But besides that, today contains a special lesson! And it's free, which makes it even more special!"

As Dipper arched an eyebrow, Stan showcased a bush with his hands, "But before we begin, I'd like to introduce our special guest star that will be helping me on this."

A figure hopped out of the bushes, and Stan exclaimed, "Mabel Pines!"

"Thank you, thank you!" She blew air kisses and waved her hand to an imaginary crowd of cheering fans. Dipper curiously pointed, "How long have you been in that bush?"

"That doesn't matter, Dippingsauce," She dismissed, "What matters is that I'm here now."

"Okay," Dipper furrowed his eyebrows, "what's this all about?"

"Well, my dear bro bro," She grinned and held him by the shoulders, "We're getting you a date with Wendy!"

"W-What?!" He tried to back away, but couldn't break out of his sister's grip, "No! No no no!"

"It's extremely appropriate since it's Valentine's Day!"

"You know I don't like Valentine's Day! Now let me go!"

"No way!"

"Oh, come on kid," Stan checked his wristwatch, "It's about time for school to end, we better go now!"

"Yes, you may not have another shot!"

Abruptly, Mabel clutched his vest collar and began to drag him away towards the academy, their grunkle following suit. They raced to the building, making it even more uncomfortable for the younger male. Dipper struggled, but to no avail. He pleaded, "Guys, I'm not ready for this! I'll just make a fool out of myself!"

"You're already a fool, where's the loss?" Stan remarked, and Dipper frowned. The older man rolled his eyes, "It's not gonna be as bad as you think. I mean, who can resist a snotty-nosed, sarcastic, know-it-all brat?"

"I am not snotty-nosed," Dipper sniffed.

"Yeah, and I'm not a conman," Stan quipped, but it did no good to Dipper's current frown.

"Look," Stan tried his best to give him a serious talk, even though it was hilarious how he was being dragged across the ground, "we got you covered, kid. If she says no, that's her own fault, but at least you tried."

"Yeah, and what's worse than no?" Mabel joined in.

Dipper was quiet for a moment, but he smiled a bit, "Thanks."

"We're here!" She told them, and stopped where she was, "The kids are already leaving, try to find a redhead!"

Dipper stood up and all three of them scanned the area. They surveyed the scattered kids, trying to find their target. One awaiting parent hurriedly grabbed her child, afraid of what they may do.

"Is that her?" Stan questioned, and the twins looked to where he was pointing. Sure enough, Wendy was with her friends, chatting and smiling.

"Yep, that's her alright!" Mabel pushed Dipper outwards. He stumbled on his feet, and turned back, "What am I supposed to do?!"

"Talk to her, ask her if she's going to the fair!"

Right, that seemed reasonable enough.

Dipper walked towards the group of teens, shuffling and excusing himself between other students. As he was, anxious thoughts banged around in his mind. What was there to be afraid of? Weren't they close enough to be friends? But what if he said the wrong thing, or looked too weird? He didn't even get to check if his bangs were brushed the right way!

I mean, his family was right. The worst she could say was no. But then his mind also decided to add more for him. She could also call him a loser, and that he was too young for her. Then everyone could watch as she and her friends laugh at how pathetic he was!

"Uh, Dipper?"

Said boy let out a girlish yelp as he realized he was standing right in front of them. A few snickers arose from her friends, mostly from the one with the black hair and hoodie. Dipper could practically see the heat waves coming off of his face in embarrassment. He hadn't even said anything and he was already making the wrong moves!

Wendy saw his face, causing her to feel sympathetic. She shot her emo friend a threatening look, and he coughed into his fist. Turning back to the younger boy, she asked, "What're you doing here?"

"Oh, ha ha, I didn't see you guys there," Dipper stuffed his hands in his vest pockets, "But, if you really wanna know, then I guess I could tell you."

Wendy smirked playfully, "I'm dying to find out."

"We all are!" The dark haired boy shouted from behind her, causing Wendy to shoot him another disapproving glance. She scoffed, "Ugh, let's go somewhere else so you can tell me, okay?"

"Yeah, sure!" Dipper let her lead him farther away from the group. Before he followed after her, he stuck his tongue out at the teenager who mocked him, who only growled in response.

Stan and Mabel watched as the two walked behind the school, out of their sights. They high fived each other at their success. Choosing to leave Dipper to his advances, they went to go back to the shack.

"So, what's up?" She leaned against the wall, and Dipper struggled to not do the same. He looked away, "Oh, nothing much. The sky, the sun, the clouds."

"And what's up with you?" She teasingly flicked his hat, misplacing it's position. He fixed it hastily, "I just had a question."

"Is it a serious question?" She stood up straighter with a pseudo stern face. He did the same, "Very."

They stared at each other, before bursting out into chuckles. He felt himself relax, and became courageous, "Wendy, are you going to the fair tonight?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Can I…" He gulped, "go with you?"

Wendy only smiled, not feeling any of the stress he was feeling, "Well, yeah dude, of course!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'm going with my friends, you can totally tag along! I'm sure they won't mind."

"That sounds great!" Dipper answered obliviously. She checked her wristwatch, "Oh, shoot. I gotta go, see you tonight!"

"Yeah, see you tonight…" Dipper waved at her retreating figure that left him alone to his glee. He smiled boyishly, and raised his fist in success. She actually agreed to go with him to the Valentine's Day fair! A fair that was sure to feature a lot of lovey dovey based rides and such. A small part of him shrunk in disgust at the theme, but he was mostly exhilarated that she said yes! Or well, he agreed to go with her… and her friends.

Dipper blinked owlishly.

Her friends were also coming along, or was it that he was also coming along with her friends? It wasn't just going to be him and her, alone, under the stars of Valentine's Day. But they would be with other sweaty, hormonal teenagers with rebellious ideas and selfish needs. He groaned and facepalmed himself at the displeasing realization.

"What the heck are you doing here?"

Dipper turned to Pacifica, who was narrowing her bitter eyes at him. He gave her a deadpan stare, "I was just leaving."

"That still doesn't answer my question," She said crossly.

"That still doesn't answer my question," He mocked in an obnoxiously high pitched voice. She tensed up, before asserting coldly, "Do not mock me! Just answer the question!"

Pacifica inwardly wished that he would just be scared off by her fierceness already. However, he wasn't the least bit affected by her stony attitude, "Why do you want to know so badly?"

"Because this is my academy, and you are on my grounds," She hissed, slowly losing her uncaring composure, "I could turn you in for trespassing."

Cracking her knuckles, she drawled, "Or I'll just deliver punishment myself."

"Geez, no need for that much hostility." Dipper curtly waved his hand in defense, and she only placed her hands on her hips.

He avowed arrogantly, "I just happened to score a little bit of a date with a girl."

"With a girl who's older than you?" Pacifica stepped closer to him and derided, "I would barely call it a date, either, if more people are coming along."

As she crossed her arms haughtily, Dipper accused, "You were spying?"

Pacifica slightly recoiled her head, taken aback. She countered confidently, "That's a crude statement. I would refer to it more as observing for my own personal safety."

He gazed at her with an unconvinced look, and she felt her face burn up, "Stop that!"

"Why were you 'observing'? So you can learn from me how to pick up a date?" He poked fun at her reddened cheeks of humiliation, "You could've just asked."

She only gritted her teeth at how flustered she was, "No, and it's not like you would know a thing about it anyways!"

"And you do?"

"More than you!"

"How would you know what I know?" Dipper baited.

"Because I was spying!"

"Hah, knew it!" He whooped. For a moment, Pacifica was dumbfounded at her careless disclosure, before barking at him, "You're unbelievable!"

"You better believe that I was right," He taunted, sticking a finger to stretch the skin below his eye. Pacifica was so awfully angry at his teasing, but for some reason, she held back from hurting him. Without a way to release her pent up negative emotions, she could only express it. Dipper broke out into a laughing fit at her enraged ruby expression, virtually seeing the steam coming out of her head.

"Why are you laughing now?!"

"B-Because," He wiped a tear from his eye while trying to catch his breath, "it's fun to rile you up. You make the weirdest expression."

She puffed up her cheeks and pouted her lips. Her face bore a bright, crimson glow as her nose scrunched up and her eyebrows pointed downwards.

He looked up after calming down, only to see her seething—and inevitably adorable—expression.

He slapped a hand to his mouth, but was unable to hold back another round of chortles. Dipper gripped his stomach as tears sprang from his eyes. Pacifica clenched her fists as numerous tick marks popped on her forehead. Oh, that was it.

With a raised fist, she brought it down on Dipper's head like a hammer of divine punishment. He let out a cry of pain as he dropped to the ground. Fresh tears brimmed his eyes, but not from overwhelming humor. She smirked once again at his fallen figure, "Hmph! That'll give you something to actually tear up about!"

Dipper scowled up at her, "You're the worst!"

"The feeling's mutual!" She jeered.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious!"

"No problem, I had to get it through your airhead somehow!"

"Like you're the one to speak!"

She demanded, "Was that a blonde joke?!"

"Oh wow, you got it," He ridiculed, "But I'm pretty sure that your hair is fake."

"I have nothing to prove to you!"

"Then why are you still arguing with me!"

"You're arguing with me!"

"No, you're arguing with me!"

Their adamant shouting could be heard from even in the rooms of the academy. Ford looked down at them from the window. They were still yelling at each other, and he shook his head with a sigh. McGucket snorted, "Well, would you look at that."

"I'm stunned that she hasn't torn him limb from limb yet."

"I wouldn't say that too soon."

"I'm not worrying, even though my grandnephew is crazy to go against her, I can just intercept if it goes any farther than child's play." Ford paused, before adding, "But he's highly stubborn."

"So is she," McGucket scratched his head, "You think we should stop them so she can help us with this situation?"

"What'll she do? We're still collecting information on how to stop Giffany." The older men watched as they were now throwing insults, as well as balls of dirt, at each other. Ford commented, "Plus, I think she needs to take a bit of a break. It's no use if she has too much pressure weighing her down."

"I suppose. Barely anyone knows how much stress is put onto her, especially on someone so young."

"Ah yes, I pity her."

"As do I."

The two winced as she tackled him down and began to smear dirt all over his face. Ah, young love, wasn't it?

It wasn't very long until they called a truce, since both of them had their own important things to attend to. That, and they were both grossly caked in earth's crust.

Mabel waited on the porch, focused on playing with Waddles. But then, she instantly recognized her brother walking up the steps. "Welcome home! How did it go—?"

She cut herself off at the sight to behold that was her brother. Dipper was majorly smothered in dirt, his clothes, hair and all. She flinched, "Oh man, I didn't think she'd reject you that badly."

"It wasn't Wendy. In fact, she said yes, although it's more of a group outing," Dipper assured as Waddles nuzzled his face against his muddy legs, "It was Pacifica."

"Pacifica? Why would she want to do that to you?" Mabel inquired as she tapped her chin, before a grin spread across her face, "She was totally jealous!"

"Don't make such nonsense assumptions, Mabel!" Dipper shouted at her, before tackling her down. He stuck some dirt into her hair, and she cried out, "Noo! I have to get ready for tonight!"

"For Bill?" He asked, and she nodded swiftly. But he only grinned evilly.

"Then I'll keep going!"

The twins wrestled on the porch as Waddles participated as much as he could. Specks of dirt flew here and there while the porch was smudged with some of the soil. Sure, they both had to get ready for tonight. But right now was a battle that the other intended to win.

Stan, who was completely ignored on his rocking chair, just resumed to his newspaper.

* * *

 **Oh my, was she really jealous? Or maybe it was an assumption? Who knows? Surely Pacifica does, not like she'll admit. Thankfully, no one that would gossip was there to see her little outbreak of immaturity.**

 **Those two are such cuties, asdfghjkl.**

 **The fair is coming up, I wonder what'll happen? Let's find out next time!**


	22. Chapter 22

***Sitting, then spots camera***

 **Oh, why hello. I didn't see you there.**

 **What am I talking about? Of course I did! Come on in!**

 **Guest(s): Thank you, and I hope that I haven't made you wait too long! (Although what's the little harm in making the wait a bit sufferable? :D jk, I try to be efficient!)**

 **Hellos 33(Guest): Oh, don't you worry about being awkward, that's my jam! *cricket noises intensify***

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

A rapping was at the door.

Dipper called out as he dried his damp hair with a thin towel, "I got it!"

He hung the cloth on the banister of the stairs to open the door. Meeting eye to eye with the guest, his lip curled in disgust. The male twin tried to slam the door shut, but the visitor only held it where it was. Dipper sneered, "Bill."

Said dream-demon clicked his tongue, "The one and only. That's quite rude of you to try to slam a door on your guest."

"Morals are relative." Dipper declared blithely.

"Really? So you won't even invite me in?" Bill feigned an offended expression.

"Why would I let you in?"

"Because I'm asking politely."

"Demons can't be polite."

Bill just crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway, "I'm a dream-demon, specifically, and I am obviously being polite."

"You're staying out here." Dipper planted firmly. Bill blew a raspberry, much to the brunette's displeasure, "Fine, whatever."

As the two males were surrounded by pregnant silence, Dipper took note of something peculiar.

Wasn't the blonde a bit… shorter, before? It was odd how Bill was somehow still a little bit taller than Dipper, and was still looking as young as the twins were. Isn't he supposed to be frozen at the age he turned immortal?

The brunette narrowed his eyes straight at him, starting up another conversation, "Why do you even have the gall to come to our house?"

"Because I'm a gentleman, Pine Tree."

"Barely," Dipper snorted, "and everything about this is just weird."

"What ever do you mean?"

"I'm still trying to figure that out myself." Dipper stuck an accusing finger at the dream-demon, "But just what exactly are you planning with my sister?"

Bill mockingly grinned, "To eat her soul and take her heart as a trophy."

One abrupt illumination later, and suddenly a blade was pressed against his neck. Dipper's expression was dark and menacing; it would send chills even up the spines of his grunkles. But Bill just gave him a tedious stare, with a hint of daring. The brunette was firmly holding his sword up against Bill's pale flesh, who only rolled his eye, "Nice sword you got there."

"Yeah, one to hurt you with."

"Take a joke, Pine Tree." Bill was still grinning, "I'm sure your sister wouldn't want to come down to see her valentine bleeding all over your front entrance."

"If it's for her safety, I'll make the exception," Yet, Dipper still forced his sword to disappear with a gleam of blue light, "But I don't want to clean up the mess."

"You're really that in distraught?" Bill belittled, and Dipper scowled, "It'd be nice to know what a dream-demon will be doing when he's with my sister."

"We go out to the fair, I make people suffer and she can call me her valentine. Simply all part of the deal." Bill explained plainly while tapping his shoe.

"Hmm… interesting. Very, very interesting," Dipper emphasized, "I'll make sure to make good use of this information."

"That's nice for you, but seriously, where is she? She shouldn't be taking that long."

"She'll be here soon," Dipper mustered his most deadliest glare at Bill, who didn't seemed fazed, "But I'm warning you, if you try to hurt her in any way, then I'll make sure to do the same to you tenfold."

Just after he spoke, footsteps could be heard from behind him. Within seconds, Mabel appeared at the top of the staircase. Both boys turned around to watch her walk down. Bill couldn't believe his eye. She looked… she looked…

She looked absolutely normal.

Her hair was its usual clean, curly waterfall of chocolate brown and her outfit was neatly in place. No makeup was apparent on her face, as always. For tonight, she wore a bright pink sweater with a large red heart in the middle.

She made her way down the stairs, with the two males still keeping their eyes—or eye, in Bill's case—on her. Just as Dipper was about to greet her, Bill did first.

"Why did it take you so long to get ready if you barely changed anything?!"

Mabel only smiled mysteriously, "The ways of a woman is impossible to understand. I shall not explain what you cannot follow."

Before he could take her up on that challenge, Dipper spoke up, "Alright, can we go now?"

"Of course!" Mabel giddily walked in front of them, leading the two to the town through the forest. Dipper walked a little distant from the floating dream-demon. She strolled backwards to face them; it was just an accident waiting to happen. But she didn't appear to care, "So, what's Grunkle Stan up to?"

"He's taking the night off since everyone will be busy with the fair and stuff." Dipper informed her.

"And Grunkle Ford?"

"I'm not sure, something about a very hostile being is on the loose."

Bill scoffed, "It better not take away my fun for the night. And if it's really risky, why would they let the fair keep going?"

Dipper shrugged and Mabel kept going backwards, "I'm glad, because I can still properly celebrate Valentine's Day with a valentine!"

She faked gunshots towards Bill, who grimaced, and Dipper gave a look.

"You need to rethink your choices sometimes Mabel."

"Please," Mabel waved her hand dismissively, "I got this bro-bro."

"You always say that."

"That's because it's true!"

"Aren't you worried?" Dipper asked, "You're gonna hang out with an evil creature while another evil creature is out there. What if he attracts it or something?"

"I'll kill it." Bill mentioned nonchalantly. The female twin only giggled and waved her hand again.

Unexpectedly, Mabel's face became dead serious, "I won't let anything ruin tonight."

Both Bill and Dipper felt a strange sensation breeze by after her statement, and they shuddered. Must've been the wind. Although, Mabel seemed unaffected.

Bill suspended in the air and shielded his eyes, "We're here."

Dipper also shielded his eyes, while Mabel turned around. She was instantly blinded by the extreme brightness of the fair. But once she recovered, she was in awe of the dazzling lights that radiated pink, red, and white. Banners and streamers were hung all around with the same colors. The opening to the fair was just up ahead, a heart as a gateway.

They could see that within the confinements that were set up around the fair, there was a ferris wheel and various other rides. All of them had the romantic theme and colors.

Dipper squinted his eyes. In the far distance, there was a group of teens in front of the entrance, and Wendy was one of them. Mabel pushed him outwards once again, "Go enjoy your time!"

Before he continued forward, he looked at her in concern, "Be careful, okay?"

"I got it, I got it." She waved him off, and he waved back. Once he was far enough, she turned to Bill, "Are you ready to go in?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Nope!" She grinned and grabbed him by the hand before he could move aside. Dragging him pass the gateway, they stopped right at the end. Mabel gaped at the beauty of it all, while Bill stuck his tongue out in disgust.

Citizens of the town were roaming the fair. Some were at food booths, some were playing mini games, and some were in line for a ride. Speaking of which, Bill arched an eyebrow at the terrified screams that came from a few of them. Loud creaking and squeaking could also be heard, but no one seemed to mind, as if it was actually normal and stable.

The dream-demon almost pitied these pathetic and ignorant meatsacks. Almost.

He attempted to pull away, "You can go do you, and I'll just—"

"Wait right there!" Mabel jerked him back in place, and he wondered why in the world she possessed so much strength, and why her touch was so warm. She pouted, "Just ride like one or two rides with me and then you can go! It's part of being my valentine!"

Bill growled, "That wasn't part of the deal!"

"Specifically, no. Technically, yes!"

They played tug-of-war with their hands as she tried to drag him to a ride and he tried to break free. She grunted, "Come on!"

"No!"

With the growing strength in their opposing forces, they were steadily loosening the grip, much to Bill's glee. Mabel also detected this, and decided to surrender her strength. The sudden loss of one force caused the other to have an abrupt takeover, and they came crashing down on to the ground.

Bill blinked at the closeness of their faces. She was lying in between his open legs, a pout apparent on her face. He nearly burned her in fury at her lack of reaction to the current position they were in, as if this meant nothing! Mabel just puffed up her cheeks and demanded, "Ride with me."

"Can you get off if I say yes?" He inquired grumpily, and she nodded. She shot up and took his hand, also pulling him up.

"Yay!" She cheered, before leading him to the first ride that was closest. To his misfortune, the first electronic death trap they spotted was the tunnel of love. She made a sound of recognition and enthusiasm while tugging his hand. He decided not to let her overpower him this time.

"If you care at least a tiny bit about the wellbeing of the fair and everyone in it, I suggest you don't make me ride that."

She stopped tugging, "Well, do you have any preferences?"

"Why, yes, actually."

He chose to take the lead this time. Readjusting the grip on their connected hands, Bill brought her in line for a different ride. One with a lot less romantic ambience and a lot more thrilling, dizzying purposes. Both horrified and tremendously delighted shrieks could be heard through the metal contraption, causing a few of the awaiting people to warily stare at each other. One or two of them actually decided to bail.

He looked down on her slyly, "You can handle this, right? Of course, you can always go back your little tunnel and I'll just be on my way."

She crossed her arms and tilted her head to look up at him smugly, "I can take a little twists and turns, Bill. Like I said, nothing will ruin tonight."

"If you say so."

The ride stopped, and a mob of people stumbled out the opening. Their faces were tinted green, their movements were sluggish, and more than one of them decided to decorate the ground with bile. Bill and Mabel turned back to the line that was now moving forward, with her scrunching her nose at the foul smell.

Nothing like human digestive fluids polluting the air on Valentine's Day.

* * *

Pacifica stood atop the water tower, scanning below. The fair was going well, as it usually did every year. The lights were sparkling and the atmosphere was lively. But that wasn't what she was paying attention to at the moment.

"She's in the fair?"

"Yes, unfortunately," McGucket told her through the crystal communicator, "the radar is showing high levels of energy there. Whenever she moves through the electrical current, she leaves a trace behind. Using that, we can find her. I had some guards shut down the surrounding wires and such that were connected to the fair."

"Other than the fact that the area is completely electronic now," She gritted her teeth, "why in the world would she be here?"

"The most probable reason would be because Soos is there."

Pacifica lowered her crystal to groan, before lifting it back up, "That's just wonderful, huh? Lucky for him, if he wasn't your apprentice, I would have slapped him for causing this much trouble now that it concerns the citizens."

She paused, "Actually, I still would."

"That's nice to know, ma'am," McGucket worried for Soos' safety, and asked, "Would you like me to send reinforcements?"

"I want you and Ford to keep me on call to guide me where she is," Pacifica smiled to herself and spoke like an eager kid ready to play, "I've been wanting to release some malice on someone, so I'll handle it alone."

"I see…" McGucket and Ford sweatdropped. The scientist took over the call, "To permanently delete her, you'll have to stick the special conductor fork that we gave you in the machine she controls at that time. Then you destroy in whatever way possible that you can. Smash it, dice it, burn it, drop it in water, it's all good."

Pacifica briskly checked her pouch for the metal fork, which was tucked in nicely.

"Got it, I'm going in now" She told them, before climbing atop the rails. A moment later, she lunged off the water tower. With her hair and coat tails fluttering behind her and wind rushing past her ears, she soared downwards towards the fair. A few citizens turned to see the blonde slide down the top of one of the tents. Quickly focusing soul essence to her feet, she landed on the ground unharmed.

"She's four o'clock, eighteen meters, near a mini game booth," Ford described hastily, "Try to spot for abnormal occurrences in the machines or a trail of electricity that hops to different contraptions."

"Your best bet is following Soos," McGucket added. Pacifica followed their descriptions with ease, and hurriedly rushed to the spot where Ford had located. She skidded to a stop and looked down the pathway to see Soos and Melody walking together, blissfully in their own little world.

Of course, a tiny notion in Soos' mind was just kicking him to go help stop Giffany, but he kept telling himself he'd just make things worse.

Pacifica observed as the couple passed by the booths, unaware of the chaos left in their wake. One man behind a booth was shocked to see his stationary water guns were suddenly shooting randomly at everything and everyone. Two women who were serving tasty snacks were astonished at the sudden burst of wild flames from their stoves.

Soos yelped at the fire that stuck to his food, before sticking it in his mouth. Smoke exited his lips and nose, but he still chewed anyways, "A bit burnt, but pretty good."

Melody laughed, "You're crazy!"

"Heh, I guess I could say I'm..." He waited, "crazy about you!"

They both chuckled and stared affectionately at each other. A guilty sensation was gnawing at Melody's heart, just begging her to tell him the truth.

Pacifica rushed after Giffany, who was still enviously after the couple. The headmistress watched the stream of electricity that would move from one machine to another. Suddenly, the duo stopped at a booth to take a stick of cotton candy. Soos happily took a bite, and let Melody nibble on it.

Surrounded by the darkness of programming and mechanics, Giffany felt a burning jealousy and uncontrollably sparked the machine she was residing in. The people around it yelped and fled, yet others paid no mind, believing it was from a ride or a silly game.

The program twitched her finger tips, and rose them. Just as she was about to fire electricity at Melody, Pacifica jumped forth and sliced the machine in half. Giffany was stunned, allowing the couple to leave the area, not knowing of what was happening behind them. She roared in outrage and appeared in the screen of one of the mini games.

"Who are you?! What do you think you're doing trying to stop me?!" Giffany screamed at Pacifica, who only glared back, "Pacifica Northwest, and I won't let you hurt any of these people."

"Such insolence!" Giffany broke out into a cackle, "You're nothing but a rotten waste of flesh, just like that girl who took my boyfriend! I won't let you **stop me from taking him back!"**

She changed physical forms once again before Pacifica could react. The headmistress jerked her head right and left, trying to catch sight of any sign of the deranged software. But there was none, much to her frustration.

"Seven o'clock, ten meters, on the move," Ford's swiftly told her, and she complied without hesitation. Pacifica focused on finding a trace of Giffany's whereabouts. McGucket spoke up, "Now that she knows you're trying to stop her, she'll try to lose you, or even fight you."

"That sounds nice," Pacifica cracked her knuckles as she stopped momentarily, before searching again. Ford sighed, "Someone's a bit too excited to murder a ghost."

"Guilty as charged." She replied while entering another area of the fair.

Dipper and the others whooped as the buffest man in their group had just won a prize for pounding the hammer as hard as he could onto the target. The lights flashed and the bell rung as the carny vendor gave the young man a stuffed animal. He teared up, "Thank you, thank you!"

Wendy raised her fist, "Man, that was freakin' awesome! I'm pretty sure he broke the bell, too."

The lights blew out and the bell popped as an electrical current passed by the machine, but the teens also thought of that as an aftereffect from their friends' strength.

"I'll say," Dipper chuckled, "that guy's a monster!"

The crowd resumed their path through the fair. They decided to do everything they passed by, saving the ferris wheel as best for last. Dipper took a cotton candy and held it out to Wendy, "Want some?"

"You don't even have to ask," She plucked a small fluff from the cloud of sugary cotton. He took a bite of it as well, and contently hummed.

In the corner of his eye, he recognized a quite familiar person that was behind the booths. He gave the cotton candy to Wendy, "Uh, hold right here."

Dipper shuffled past the group and reached the person in the secluded vicinity. Pacifica was taken aback, "What're you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," He crossed his arms, "You aren't spying again, are you?"

Her face fumed a pretty scarlet, "No! I'm strictly here under business!"

"Does this have to do with the evil thingie that's undetained?" Dipper dropped his teasing to ask seriously. Her face returned to its normal color, "Ford tells you too much."

"I'm right here!" Ford went unanswered.

"Or not enough. I don't even know who you're up against." He questioned, "Why don't you tell me what's going on so I can help?"

"I don't need your help. And aren't you supposed to be on your date?"

"Not really a date. You said it yourself, remember?"

"You still aren't going to help."

Dipper glowered, "Why not?"

"Like I said, I don't need it," Before he could say anymore, she jumped elsewhere. Dipper grumbled incoherently, why the heck wouldn't she let him help? Although, why did he want to help so much? He had his own things to attend to, anyways. Like wooing the heart of Wendy, and having fun on a day he hated. Yeah!

Dipper dashed back to the redhead, saying something had just caught his eye. She seemed to be pretty convinced. The two joined the rest of the group and kept going down there path through the fair.

So far, the night had been going well. He barely remembered that this was a group outing and not an actual date, but spending as much time as he could with her wasn't a very hard plan.

At least, not until now.

Robbie Valentino, the same teenager that was making fun of him earlier, had tapped Wendy on the shoulder. Both he and Dipper were forced to be acquainted with each other by the redhead. She turned around to face him, "Oh, what's up?"

"I was wondering if I could, um, talk to you—"

There it was! Robbie had been trying to get a moment alone with her the entire time they had been there. And Dipper had happened to be there every time to drag Wendy somewhere else. But this time, it wasn't him who stopped the hoodie-wearing teen, it was she herself.

"Hold that thought," Wendy ran past him and stopped in front of another mini game booth. Dipper and Robbie followed after her, casting a quick glare at each other. Her eyes were sparkling, "I don't know what that is, but I want one."

A series of the same stuffed animal of some sort were hanging on the booth. Wendy ran her fingers across the toy; it was so soft.

"Oh, do ya, miss? It's a dollar for every ball," The carny gave a toothy grin, "If one of ya can hit all three of 'em bottles right o'er there, you get it."

Wendy was about to pull out a dollar from her pocket, but Robbie stopped her, "I'll do it for you. You really want it right?"

"Yeah, thanks dude. That's sweet."

Dipper gulped. Sure, he was pretty skilled in fighting now, but he still wasn't very good carnival games. However, he that wouldn't stop him from trying to one up Robbie.

The male twin stepped up with a dollar in hand faster than Robbie could even pull out his own. The vendor took it without a second thought and gave him his ball. Dipper tossed it back and forth in his hands, testing its density. It seemed pretty heavy, actually. Pitching his arm back, he hurled it forward at the bottles. The trajectory was straight, just like he intended, until it suddenly curved downward and hit the edge of the shelf that held the bottles.

The ball rebounded off the wood and aimed at Wendy. As fast as he could, Robbie took her by the arm and yanked her to him before the ball could smack her in the face. She let out an 'oof' as her head hit his chest. The ball flew past her, grazing the red strands of her hair. Dipper felt a sinking feeling of disgust in his chest while watching the two teens that were now staring at each other.

"Are you alright?" Robbie faced down at her, and she stepped away from such close physical contact. With a light tinge of crimson on her cheeks, she responded, "I'm fine, thanks to you."

Dipper was ignored on the stand as the pair was shrouded in awkward silence in front of him. Wendy looked down and coughed, "Uh, you can let go now."

"Huh?" Robbie noticed his hand was still gripping her arm, and released it as if the touch burned him, "Right, right. Sorry."

He rubbed the back of his head, "Listen, there's something I've been wanting to tell you."

Oh no. Dipper hurriedly piped up, "Uh, hey guys! Why don't we go catch up with the rest of the group?"

Both teens realized that their group was pretty far up ahead now. Robbie's face fell at yet another failed attempt. Wendy sympathetically looked at him, and back at the hopeful-looking Dipper. She made her decision.

"You can go ahead Dipper," Wendy turned to him and scratched her cheek, almost shyly, "I actually want to see what he wants to say."

"Oh…" Dipper felt his throat go dry, and cleared it, "yeah, sure! Don't be late!"

He walked away from the couple to trail after the group of teens. After he was out of the hearing range, he turned back to watch the scene unfold.

Wendy's face lit up happily after Robbie presumably asked her something, and she pulled him in for a tight hug.

Dipper didn't want to stay around for the kiss that came after.

He didn't want to stay around at all with these people he didn't know. No one in the group even asked where he was going as he walked away from them. Head down, hat covering his eyes, he was out of sight .He should've known better than to try anything good on Valentine's Day.

* * *

Mabel staggered out, and immediately headed for the nearest trashcan. After finishing the gross process of forcefully emptying the stomach, she looked up in success. She had just rode that same nauseating, spinning ride with Bill about five times, and only vomited once.

Wiping her mouth with a napkin from a dispenser on a booth, she turned around to ask Bill if he wanted to ride again. However, he was nowhere in sight. She frowned at the abrupt absence. No goodbye, no excuse, no gust of wind from his escape. It was as if he was never even with her.

Well, he did fill out his part of the deal, so now he could go terrorize whoever he'd like.

With a dejected sigh, she decided to go play some mini games now and win a few toys for herself. Or maybe she'd just buy it, that seemed easier. But she did like the fun of trying over and over again…

Now having a plan in mind to win a toy from each booth she played, Mabel set herself on her self-anointed quest.

Bill watched from above as she skipped to her first destination. She barely even grieved about his disappearance! Where was her determination to spend more time with her supposed valentine? Whatever, what did he care? He had to go out and torture a few folks.

Floating above one of the booths, he smirked mischievously and burned all of the products while the owner wasn't looking. Cries of despair, check!

Passing by, he popped each and every heart-shaped balloon that he could see. Most of them were being held by children, which made it even better to destroy. Cries of misery, check!

Bill halted above a lovey-dovey couple, and briskly invaded the personal thoughts of the man. Oh, how interesting! He plopped himself beside the two, shocking them both. Bill gave a cheeky grin, "He's been cheating on you for a while."

He exited the picture, laughing maniacally at the tearful cries from the woman and the desperate pleas from the man. Cries of drama, check!

Without a moment's notice, he was kicked to the ground. Bill narrowed his eye at the blinding light and his offender.

Pacifica clenched her fists and barked, "Can you knock it off, Cipher?! You're throwing off my trail to Giffany!"

"Who?" Bill questioned uncaringly, and she palmed her forehead, "A program filled with dark energy that needs to be stopped. Now I'd really appreciate it if you'd not get in my way."

"And how ever am I doing that?"

"Giffany is leaving problems wherever she goes, and now you're leaving problems wherever you go. What are you even doing here?"

Ford cut in loudly, "Where is my grandniece?!"

"Somewhere in the fair, but no worries." Bill briefed him just as loudly, seeing that he was still on the ground. The headmistress cocked an eyebrow, "Were you with her earlier? Why don't you go stay with her?"

"I'm a bit too busy having fun troubling people."

"Really? Doesn't seem like you are," She remarked, "just go back."

"Sorry Llama," Bill snorted, and Pacifica hissed at the nickname. He fixed his bowtie in place, "I'm not taking orders from a brat."

"So be it," She abruptly raised her foot and dropped it down on his abdomen. Bill gasped and wheezed at the sudden impact, and she glared down at him, "I don't care if you mess up this fair, or even mess a little bit with the people. But I have to stop Giffany before she actually hurts anyone."

"And you think I won't?" He glared back at her.

"Who do you think you're trying to fool, Cipher? You're a dream-demon with an infamous reputation to disturb civil peace," She turned on her heel to leave, after making a final statement.

"But you're no killer."

He was dumbfounded as she leaped away, most likely after Giffany again. Bill's face gradually contorted into rage as the surrounding booths were burned to the ground and citizens ran from the fire. Then, he reverted back to a simply annoyed expression. He muttered, "Stupid girl."

Bill got back on his feet and shoved his hands in his pockets. Looking around, he noticed that it was strangely void of the obnoxious lights and eerily quiet. Was this his doing, or Giffany's?

"That dumb glitch is taking my fun," He frowned to himself. Already bored of the deserted area, he chose to find something else to do. Perhaps Shooting Star could make his night more exciting again.

Meanwhile, Pacifica hopped side to side from the lightning strikes that Giffany shot at her. It seemed she finally decided to stop running and to start fighting. The people had already fled the proximity, leaving the area clear for a battle.

She threw her head back, narrowly dodging the strike of lightning fired at her head. Two more aimed for her, and she darted to the side. However, one of the bolts hit the crystal communication on her belt, shattering it into fragments. Oh well, she couldn't worry about that right now.

Backflipping, she landed on a pole, and boosted off of it before she lost her momentum. Once she was close enough, Pacifica swung her sword, slicing the device that Giffany was in. It split in half, smoking and sparking afterwards. Pacifica ripped out the tuning fork and jammed it in one of the machines that Giffany jumped to next.

She was too fast, and had already left before it was could absorb her. Giffany snarled at the small part of her that the blonde did obtain and jumped to another machine. She forced the stove to knock over, and set the stove top at maximum blast, probably even more. Pacifica dodged the rampaging flame; it barely licked her skin and singed the tip of her coat tail.

Stretching her power further, she took control of all the lights in the area, and turned them to its brightest. Pacifica was forced to shut her eyes, and Giffany widely grinned cockily. This was her advantage now!

"Sorry, but this entire fair is **my home territory,"** Giffany told her from all all directions, **"You can't** **win."**

Pacifica only kept her eyes shut and firmly gripped her sword, a smirk adorned her face, "Watch me."

Greatly insulted, Giffany bellowed, "I'll watch you **die!"**

She angrily fired erratic bolts of electricity at Pacifica, not strategically in order or planned out to stump her. The headmistress only stayed in the middle of it all, using her sword to deflect what she couldn't dodge. Her movements were graceful and fluid, as if she was only dancing with an overwhelming spotlight. The bolts whizzed by her, and she could feel the heat that came off of it for only a millisecond.

Giffany couldn't believe this girl could evade everything that she was firing at her. The growing rage only increased at a fast pace, consuming the program's raw emotions. Finally at her limit, the AI boomed an infuriated scream and slammed her pixelated hands down onto the nonexistent plane that she was on. Black electricity coursed through her body and through the darkness, hectic and in a frenzy. It was a completely new level of power.

Outside, Pacifica opened her eyes to the night sky. The vicinity was now drained of power, not one light had a flicker of life. She could see the lights were still glimmering beyond the area she was in. Obviously, this was Giffany's doing.

A whirring reached her ears, and Pacifica snapped her attention to the source. Black sparks flared from the contraption, and she readily braced herself with her sword. Yet, it never came from in front of her.

It came from behind.

* * *

 **Dun dun dun duuuuuun! Mabel, you are just too nice, aren't you? Ah yes, Bill and Pacifica aren't necessarily enemies, although not exactly friends, either.**

 **Poor, poor Dipper. Your princess is in another castle! Although, I hope your princess makes it out okay, or at least alive. She's too awesome to die! Right?!**

 **I'm actually not sure how long this fair will last. How will this finish? We'll see next time!**


	23. Chapter 23

**I apologize for posting twice, but it seems that the reviews aren't being posted, much to my confusion.**

 **HAPPY NEW YEAR!**

 **Great year for all of you or not, we have made it this far! Please, let me add to your delight, your angst, your anger, your excitement, your feels! That is, if I haven't already.**

 **Thank you all, all my constant readers and those who are the least bit interested. Let us rejoice in this new chapter!**

 **Although, heck, you may not even be on the internet right now to read this because it's new years! So I'll see you afterwards!**

 **KittyCat151: I-I don't have the words. I'm not sure thank you suffices anymore, but I shall say so anyways! But the greatest thanks I can give is to continue my story!**

 **Guest: I guess I can elaborate from my explanation from chapter 17. I thought of this AU purely out of my love for Gravity Falls and the anime I mentioned in chapter one. I imagined the cast of Gravity Falls being even more super awesome with powers and such like if they were in an anime. Although, I didn't want to copy the powers exactly, so I put some thought into it and made it my own.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

Dipper never really guessed what heartbreak felt like. Although, now he didn't have to anymore. But it happened to hurt—a lot. And despite the fact he wasn't as close to Wendy as he desired to be, it was painful for the holder of your affection to give their own to someone else. He almost wanted the hurting to just end already.

Suddenly, a white light erupted in the distance in front of him. Was that supposed to be the light that was speculated to be a sign of dying?

If so, Dipper definitely did not want to go that far with 'ending his misery' stuff. He wasn't dumb, he still had a lot to live for, and a lot going for him!

But then, he realized that he was still surrounded by the booths and rides of the fair, not a void. Citizens also seemed to be skeptical of the light and gave questioning murmurs.

The brunette squinted and tried to shield away some of the light with his arm. He knew the fair was blinding, but not this blinding. This was strong enough to cause some actual damage.

Although, he didn't know so many people were scared of losing their eyesight, or probably scared of just paying the hospital bill. A frenzied cluster of people were fleeing in the opposite direction that the male twin was heading towards. Someone bumped into him as they ran past. Dipper turned around, a frown apparent his face, "Hey!"

The person was now facing him, and he inquired, "What's the rush?"

"The headmistress is fighting something!" The stranger informed him, as well as the other concerned bystanders, "We better leave while we can, or stay away from the fight!"

"Pacifica…?" Dipper mumbled to himself. While the others now chose to make a break for it, he continued forward. He could barely see the clear path towards the source of the offending illumination, but still tried to make it there as fast as possible. This was his chance to help, whether she liked it or not!

Unexpectedly, the light died out in a blink of an eye. No one else was around. Dipper felt himself jump out of his skin at the abruptly loud thunder that reached his ears. What in the world?! There was no storm!

He could now see his way towards the dark area that Pacifica was presumably located. Boosting his speed, it didn't take him very long to reach his destination.

The vicinity was lifeless and dreary compared to the rest of the fair. None of the lights were shimmering their respective colors, and it was just as hard to see as the impossibly bright light from earlier. But Dipper made out the burnt marks that scarred the ground and the torn up tents. He spotted a figure lying on the ground in the midst of the beaten up area.

Hurriedly moving closer, he instantly recognized the figure as Pacifica. She was faced down, with grunts leaving her lips, blood staining her hair, and twitches varying around her body. However, she made no move to get up. Dipper kneeled next to her, "Are you alright?!"

Pacifica mustered up her strength to shoot a glare his way. He saw the glistening in her eyes, and guessed it was tears. Her voice was soft and shaky, "D-Does it look l-like I'm alright?"

"Well, no, not really," Dipper remarked. He had never seen her in this much pain. He questioned, "What happened?"

She caught her breath, before speaking, "This."

She used her head to flip her hair off of her back, and he gaped at the horrendous wound. Her clothing that covered her back was burnt off, and her flesh was a vivid red covered in blisters and blood. There was a spot that seemed the most damaged on her upper left of her back, near her shoulder, and then it split off outwards like a lightning strike.

How in the world did she manage not to shed at least a single tear from this?!

"Instead of g-gawking like an idiot," She struggled to speak, "c-can you get the p-potion in my pouch?"

"Oh, sorry," Dipper awkwardly lifted up her coat tail and dug into her pouch. He took out the much needed item quickly. The brunette looked at the vial, then to her, "Can you flip over?"

Before she could weakly give him a snide retort, he corrected himself, "Can I flip you over?"

Pacifica grimaced, "It's gonna h-hurt, but if you have t-to."

With as much caution that he could give, Dipper turned her body right side up. She let out a small cry of pain, trying to hold back anymore. Popping open the vial, he poured it in her mouth. The red liquid vanished was gone from its container and entered her system, working its magic immediately. The pain subsided, and she hoisted herself upright. Holding her hair in front of her, she turned for Dipper to see her exposed skin.

Unbeknownst to her, he gave a silent yelp and looked down, a blush surely burning his face.

"Well?" She asked gently, and he furrowed his eyebrows, "Huh?"

"How's my back, you dolt?" Pacifica attempted to put more contempt in her question, but couldn't manage. His mouth formed an 'O' shape, and he hesitantly looked up to examine her back. It had returned to its normal shade, although a very faint scar was now evident.

"It's fine, now," He reported. He wouldn't say this to her face, but it also looked kind've cool.

A content sigh escaped her lips as she turned around to face him. Much to his appreciation, her clothes were not burnt off in the front. Dipper watched her face contort into pain, before it relaxed. She spoke lowly, not as her usual abrasive tone, "Thanks. I'll be going now."

They stood up, although she was slower than normal. The blonde took her first step, before her knees gave out. Dipper reacted swiftly and caught her before she hit the ground, and she absentmindedly rested her head against his shoulder. He frowned, "What're you doing? You can barely move."

"I have to stop Giffany," She muttered into his vest, "She'll hurt everyone. And she got a cheap shot on me, so I want some vengeance."

He rolled her eyes at her side comment. Headmistress or not, she still acted like a child sometimes. Dipper replied, "What're you gonna do, actually die the next time? And who's Giffany?"

"An evil program that can travel through any electronic device," She backed off from him, but he still held her in case she decided to collapse again, "She's after Soos, and that's how I'll find her."

"She's after Soos... what? Why?" Dipper questioned, "How do we stop her?"

"Not 'we', it's only me. And I know how to stop her, but I was being reckless." She stubbornly responded, steadily gaining her voice. He uttered in disbelief, "You still won't let me help you stop Giffany?"

"I let you give me a potion, that'll help me stop Giffany," Pacifica pointed out. Dipper shook his head, "No, not like that! You know what I mean."

"You aren't going."

"Why not?!" He stared at her, trying to throw her off, but she only kept her ground.

"Because I said so."

"Since when have I ever listened to you?"

"A couple of times," She dismissed the thought, since more important things were being discussed, "But you should really do it more, it might save you the trouble."

"The trouble of what?" His grip was getting a bit tighter. But she didn't budge, "You won't be able to stop her, Dipper, you aren't strong enough."

He glowered, "Why do you always talk about the difference in skill?"

"It's a valuable detail to recognize."

"Yeah, I guess. But I'm still going, even if I have to figure it out myself."

She grinded her teeth, "Dipper!"

"Sorry I don't reach your standards to be dependable enough!"

She didn't exactly think of him that way. But he didn't have to know that. She growled, "Yeah, you don't. You'll just get yourself killed!"

"And you almost did!"

"Which is why you can't fight her!"

"Which is why I have to fight her!" He declared in exasperation. Her breath was caught in her throat, and she choked out, "W-What?"

Dipper groaned, and calmed down to clarify, "Honestly, I think you're a really, really strong person, Pacifica. And I know it doesn't always seem like it, but you care a lot about the citizens of Gravity Falls. Even though, for some reason, you aren't the nicest or the most welcoming, I still respect you for that."

She felt heat engulf her face, and immensely thanked that it was dark right now. He loosened the hold on her and continued, "But right now, you're still recovering, and we're running out of time. Let me help you save the people. I'm a Soul Fighter, too."

Pacifica couldn't. She couldn't let herself actually trust this boy to stop Giffany. She didn't know him that well at all, other than the fact he had just started learning the ways of a Soul Fighter. It hasn't even been a year that he's known her and he's asking her for her trust? Does he still remember who he's speaking to?

She was Pacifica Northwest, a headmistress and heiress, one with both a high rank and high class in society. He was nothing but a dirty peasant that dreamed of something he could never achieve!

And yet, he still tried. He always tried. How can someone be such a complete and utter idiot?

But then again, she thought he was extraordinary.

A metal fork was abruptly placed in his hand, and Dipper questioned, "What's this?"

"Stick it in whatever machine Giffany is in at the moment, and then destroy it when she's absorbed," Pacifica paused momentarily, and Dipper expected more instructions. However, she only mellowed her gaze and voice, "I'm counting on you, Dipper."

He broke out into a reassuring, boyish grin, "Don't worry about it."

She glared again, but with slight mirth, "Don't tell me not to worry, I always do."

This was starting to sound quite familiar to Dipper. And he knew just what to say next.

"Huh, no wonder you look pretty old, I think I even see some gray hairs." He teased in high spirits, but her glare was starting to become legitimate. He held his hands up in defense, "Joking. I should get going now."

"Yeah, you should." She turned him around and kicked his back, to which he let out a small noise of surprise and pain. Pacifica hadn't even used half of her regular strength, but it was still effective. Briefly, he glared back at her, before running off to search for Giffany.

She watched his retreating figure, and felt a wave of déjà vu. It only increased when she whispered, "Good luck."

Pacifica blinked, before a shudder racked her body. Too much déjà vu.

In the academy, Ford sat back in his chair in defeat, "We lost her."

"What? How?" McGucket came over and began to flip and turn the crystal communicator around. Ford snatched it from him and set it down, "Most likely, it's been destroyed."

They both walked over to the screen and scowled. The scientist was crestfallen, "And at such an important time, too."

The radar showed a large, red splat that covered the entire fair. On the map, a section was already in the dark, although they didn't know that Pacifica was there. This meant, however, that all the electronically controlled contraptions were now to bend at every whim of Giffany's demented mind.

"How will we let her know? We also need to evacuate everyone, as well." McGucket brought up, and Ford just walked over to his chair and put on his trench coat, "We'll go ourselves."

It was the most logical solution, they supposed. The rest of the connections surrounding the fair were already shut down, and they needed to bring the information to Pacifica and the people as fast as possible.

McGucket looked back at the radar, the obnoxious red still mocking him. This all wouldn't have happened if he had just spent more time on permanently deleting Giffany, or getting help from his colleagues long, long ago.

Ford piped up, "Are you coming?"

McGucket turned away, ready to end her destruction.

"Right behind you."

* * *

"BOOM! That's how it's done!" Soos slammed the counter of the booth. He took the prize with open arms and handed it to Melody, who smiled, "Basketball's got nothing on you, huh?"

"It can only dream of it."

She feigned a scolding expression, "Don't crush its dreams."

"I can't help it, it's a natural ability."

"Excuses! You'll have to face the consequences of such cruelty!"

"What?" Soos started to back away as Melody inched closer. She rose her arms and wiggled her fingers, "I'll have to tickle you!"

The couple ran towards another building of the fair. She chased him with tinkling laughter while he ran with pseudo screams of terror. Out of places to run, he chose to go inside the small building.

And then, he unfortunately lost his date within the building. Because it was so confusing! Mirrors were everywhere he looked, and the lights barely helped with the eerie ambience. Plus, it was really creepy to spot something moving, but for it to only be you. Was he in some kind of new horror movie?

Several times, he would bump into one of the mirrors as he tried to find his way out, or maybe at least just to where Melody was. Could his voice penetrate these mirror walls? Time to test it out. He cupped his mouth and yelled, "Melody!"

No response. Or maybe there was, but he couldn't hear it. The heavy silence was putting a lot of apprehension on his shoulders. And there was this sensation that was just threatening him, yet he didn't know why. Soos almost couldn't think straight, he was losing his mind!

Oh great, was he stuck? He hastily looked around, trying to find another path. But it was almost as if he was encased by the mirrors now. However, how did he get inside the circle in the first place? The exit from the circle had to be around…

There was a whisper that reached his ears, or maybe a sudden rush of wind?

But whatever. Aha! He found it!

"Soos."

"GAH!" His back met a mirror as he snapped his attention to the voice. There was no one there but his frightened reflection. Although, he could've sworn he heard someone, and recognized the voice too.

"Don't be scared."

It sounded as though it came from all directions, and sent shivers crawling up his spine. Okay, how much does he get paid to act in a horror film again? Wait, when did he sign up? And where was Melody?!

"I'm here for you, Soos."

Right, he had to go find Melody right away! Soos felt a burst of determination motivate his body and mind to search for her faster. He scanned for openings, ran down paths and kept ignoring the voice that was calling out to him. He thought ghosts were cool, but he didn't want to confirm his fears of this one.

"Just stay here."

"I won't let you be alone."

"Why won't you do the same for **me?** "

"Why don't you **love me anymore Soos?** "

" **I've always loved you.** "

He panted and leaned against a mirror, before looking down the path. The walls made of mirrors created a hallway, leading down to a single mirror, which was not reflecting him. No, somehow, it was reflecting Giffany. She was staring at him with a dark expression, her hands were limp at her side, and her eyes were glossed over. Her lips curled into a disturbing smile.

" **That's okay, because I'll never stop**."

He felt the wind knocked out of him and sweat bullet down his skin. Clenching his teeth, he let out a battle cry and charged the mirror. She held her smile.

" **I won't let you leave me.** "

He was almost there, just a little further!

" **You're mine—!** "

Soos braced himself and lunged at the mirror. Smashing into it and shattering it into a million pieces, he landed on the other side with all the fragments lying by him. He got up, and dusted himself off. A few cuts were visible on his skin, but he didn't mind.

"Oh my gosh, Soos!" Melody was extremely befuddled as to why he abruptly crashed out of the mirror beside her. She inspected him, noticing the cuts and all, "Why did you do that?"

He looked past her. She was waiting for him at the opening afterall. He sighed and hugged her, "I found my exit."

She felt touched by his warm gesture, but was also puzzled. Placing a hand to soothe his chilled skin, she inquired, "What's wrong?"

"There's something I have to tell you," He stared her in the eyes, and she tensed up as she spoke, "There's actually something I've been meaning to tell you, too."

"You go first," They spoke simultaneously. Taken aback, they both said again, "No, you."

"Stop that!"

"Just say it already!"

A beat.

They broke out into laughter at the weird coincidence of their thoughts and voices. Soos took her by the hand, "Let's get out of this building."

"Agreed," She answered, letting him lead her away, "it gave me the heebie jeebies."

"Tell me about it," He snorted.

The couple strolled for a while, before taking a break on a wooden bench. Soos fiddled with his fingers, and exhaled deeply, "So, um, I'll start."

Melody was fully facing him now, and he gulped, "I have an ex."

She pursed her lips, "...And?"

"And she's crazy."

Melody felt a bit more worried, but asked again, "...And?"

Soos squeezed his eyes and said frantically, nearly making it impossible for Melody to catch everything he said, "And she's a berserk, powerful, evil dating software that can move through electronics and that's obsessed with me and wants to keep me forever!"

Silence.

And then, more silence.

He unsurely peeked one eye open to find her gazing normally at him. Now, they were staring at each other, unable to read the other's expression.

"Wow," She stated matter-of-factly, "that's intense."

He loosened up his shoulders, relieved she took it without any kind of hysterics, "Yeah, it's like I'm part of some cartoon episode plot."

"Or a story arc plot."

Briefly, they both looked the same direction towards nothing, before looking at each other again. Melody inquired, "So, what'll we do?"

"Huh?"

"About your ex."

"Oh, her name is Giffany," He scratched the back of his head, "And I don't know, my mentor said this doesn't concern me all that much. But I think he was just trying to keep me safe."

"Soos," She crossed her arms, "how are you safe if you're already in danger? When she's gone, then you'll be safe."

"That's some solid logic."

"I know," She smiled to herself as he admired her. But she shook her head, "We still have to find a way to stop her, though. Maybe you can ask your mentor again, and make sure to get it through that since you're concerned, you're already involved."

"Right, got it," Soos made a move to get his crystal communicator, but stopped, "Wait, don't you have to tell me something?"

Her confident posture broke as her face perked up in recognition. He could've sworn a hair strand popped out of place as she fretted, "Yeah! Yeah yeah yeah, yeah…"

She cleared her throat and straightened herself up, "Soos, I have to tell you that I am—"

"Soos!" A voice called out from behind them. But said man only looked shocked, "You're also Soos?"

"Huh? No!" Melody waved her hands around, "That wasn't me."

"Soos!" Dipper popped up behind the bench, and leaned in between the couple. He looked towards his grownup friend, "I know how to stop Giffany!"

Soos was taken aback, "How do you know about Giffany?!"

"He wasn't supposed to know about Giffany?" Melody cocked an eyebrow. Soos laughed nervously and Dipper narrowed his eyes, "Why wasn't I supposed to know about Giffany? Does Mabel even know?"

"No, not exactly," Soos rubbed his arm, "And I just felt… embarrassed, okay?!"

"Is she the one that you told Mabel about?!"

"Well… yes?" Soos winced as Dipper looked insulted, "You lied to her?"

Melody clicked her tongue in disappointment, "Lying to a child, shame on you Soos."

"Not helping!" Soos looked between the two of them, before stopping at Dipper, "And again, how do you know?"

"Pacifica told me," Dipper said nonchalantly, and Soos was astounded, "The headmistress?"

"Of the Gravity Falls Soul Fighters Academy?" Melody asked, and Soos nodded. She tapped her chin, "Isn't she supposed to be totally cold and cruel and stuff?"

"Yes, pretty much," Soos confirmed. She asked the male twin, "Oh, is she your girlfriend or something?"

"No! Why do people keep thinking these things!" His face flushed, but then he paused, "Wait, who're you?"

"She's my girlfriend!" Soos told him, and Dipper turned his head back to him, "She is?"

"I am?" Melody questioned in surprise, "But you hadn't officially asked me yet."

"Oh…" Soos lightly blushed and grabbed her hands, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

"Of course!" Melody beamed.

"How did you two even meet?!" Dipper threw his hands up, but Soos spoke urgently, demeanor changed in a snap, "Nevermind that! How do we stop Giffany?"

"With a metal fork!"

"A fork?"

"This fork!" Dipper pulled out the thick, metal conductor fork, and Soos' eyes widened, "That's one big fork."

Melody sighed, "And this was one big train wreck."

Soos and Dipper gave one big, "Yep."

* * *

Mabel noticed two figures playing a mini game at a booth. She ran over to them, recognizing the pair.

"Grenda! Candy!"

The two turned around to greet her. They shared a group hug and the asian girl asked, "Mabel! Where is you valentine?"

"Oh, what makes you say that I have one?" Mabel innocently accused.

"Because you're Mabel," Grenda answered, and Candy nodded. The brunette put a hand to her cheek, "Alas, it's complicated. He left."

The two other friends gave disgusted and offended gasps, while Mabel just shrugged and lifted up two bags, "He'll be back. In the meantime, I was getting myself some new toys!"

"Why don't you hang with us for a while? We can take pictures while we're at it!" Candy held her camera in her hands and shook it convincingly. Mabel grinned, "How could I say no? And where'll you put the pictures?"

"I'm gonna try to make a scrapbook, but I heard it's hard to dedicate to it."

"Cool!" Mabel's eyes sparkled, "I think I'll try that."

"What's a scrapbook without any pictures?" Grenda added, "We gotta get going!"

The three hooked arms and set out to ride the deathly contraptions and waste their money on mini game booths. Eating food that could either give diabetes or the stomach flu, they enjoyed each others company well. And ever so often, Candy would whip out her camera and make them all pose for a picture.

Mabel identified a certain redhead as the three passed by a group of teens. The female twin went up to her, "Wendy! What's up? These are my friends Candy and Grenda."

The two girls waved at the teenager, who waved back, "Just enjoying the time off. And look, I even got myself a boyfriend!"

Wendy grinned and pointed to the young man that was currently hanging an arm around her. He greeted without interest, "Hey, I'm Robbie."

Mabel's face fell slightly, "Oh… new boyfriend?"

"Yeah, isn't it great?" Wendy remembered to ask, "Oh, by the way, have you seen Dipper anywhere?"

Mabel was stunned, "He's not around?"

"Uh, no," Robbie told her, "he left the group a while ago."

For some reason, the way he said that made Mabel's blood boil. It sounded so smug and derisive, as if he was actually glad that Dipper left. And she knew why, too. He must've been heartbroken to see them together. Wendy was completely oblivious as Robbie was celebrating inwardly!

"I'll go look for him, don't worry," Mabel mustered a cheery wave to the new couple. She turned to her friends, "I'll see you guys later, this might take a bit."

"No problem."

"Good luck!"

"Yeah! Thanks!" Mabel called out to them, before searching for her brother. She retraced her steps, checking with other citizens if they had spotted a sad-looking boy wearing a hat with a pine tree symbol. They all gave her the same answer: no.

Mabel stumbled upon a new area and looked around. Why was this section of the fair so empty? She had to find her brother before he had any more depressing thoughts! It might take a turn for the worst if he isn't thinking straight!

She placed her bags down and peered over one booth, "Hello? Have you seen my twin?"

She stood up from bending over and thought about going back to where she came. It was like a small part of a ghost town had resided itself in the fair. She needed to ask someone fast! Where was everyone?!

"Hello?!" She cupped her mouth and called out. No one appeared; how odd.

Although, something caught her interest. In the distance, she could see the lights turning off, one section after the other. Mabel yelped as a gust of wind had nearly knocked her off her feet and the lights suddenly shut off. What was going on?!

Mabel shouted, "Hey, this isn't funny!"

She heard a whirring sound from somewhere near her. Darting her eyes, she could barely see in this lack of brightness. But her eyes found a machine, vibrating and spitting out black sparks.

"Black sparks? Is that even possible?" She mused. Curiosity was trying to take over, tempting her to check out why the machine was doing that. However, this entire situation gave her anxiety as to what would happen next. And more importantly, what would happen to her.

Giffany kept her eyes set on the girl. Another one was trying to stop her? As if she'd let that happen. Raising her distorted hands with a cracked smile, electricity coursed through her and charged up, ready to be fired. She was prepared to shoot.

Mabel jerked her head around at the unexpected sound of crunching metal.

Bill had metal pieces pouring out of his clenched fist, an annoyed expression on his face, "Irritating pest, making this fair even worse than it already is. That's my job."

Giffany was dumbstruck as she jumped to another machine. Who was he?! And how did he know she was there?!

"Does everyone I know not like Valentine's Day?" Mabel huffed. Bill walked over to her and flicked her on the forehead, and she whined, "Hey!"

"Are you stupid? This isn't an overrated horror film where you shout hello over and over again until you die." Bill criticized, "What are you doing here in the first place? Giffany is here."

Mabel went to get her bags while answering him, "Well, I was searching for my brother who probably needs my comfort and consoling. And who's Giffany?"

"A digital psychopath."

A cackle of thunder boomed from behind the two and Mabel shrieked, "WATCH OUT!"

Bill didn't turn around. He shot his hand up and caught the black bolt, before crushing it with his gloved hands. He smirked at the flustered brunette, faking a high-pitched voice, "Watch out!"

Mabel was flabbergasted, "How did you—"

"Death can't take me, so danger doesn't scare me. Plus, I've handled much darker energy," Bill explained, "I can sense where she is and her attacks from miles away."

Giffany gritted her teeth at this declaration, before fleeing the area.

"Why don't you stop her then?!"

Bill shrugged, "Not my problem. And I advise you get out of here. She isn't here anymore, and neither is anyone else."

Mabel shivered as a familiar chill breezed by, "Thanks for the tip."

She hurried away, yet a frown was apparent on her face. Bill caught a glimpse of it before she turned around. He groaned and caught up next to her, "Stop that."

She shot him a look before continuing forward, "Stop what?"

"That curl on your lip, it looks weird on you."

"I can't help it!" She halted and faced him, not caring if Giffany might be following them at the moment, "I always loved Valentine's Day while a lot of people hate it! Now I may see why…"

He scrunched his nose, "Do evil beings appear on Valentine's Day every year for those people?"

"No! Probably... I don't know!" She dropped her bags and covered her face in exasperation, "But it's not that. It's that bad things happen to them on this day and it leaves them hating this holiday every year."

She sighed and quietly revealed, "It's hard being positive all the time in the middle of a butt load of negativity."

And then came forth her favorite thing of all time: silence.

Was her sarcasm clear enough?

Mabel didn't dare to look up. He was probably staring at her incredulously because of her opinion, or maybe he thought that she was the most idiotic person on the planet. The brunette combed her fingers through her hair, anticipating his reaction.

A beat.

And then a soft bop on her head. He gave a curt chuckle, "You're so weird, Shooting Star."

Her head flew up with astonishment as Bill tapped her on the shoulder, "Can we go now? I'm getting bored here."

"Wha—? No!" Mabel shouted, slapping his hand away, "I just told you how I felt about this and that's how you're gonna react?!"

He held his slapped hand in the air with a perplexed stare, "Uh… er…"

"Do you really think that low of me?!" She stomped her foot down and crossed her arms. He frowned at her accusation, and shouted back with his aggravation showing, "You must be more of an idiot than I thought."

She flinched back, hurt and on the edge of tears, "Why?!"

He stepped closer, speaking scornfully, "You wanna know why!? Because you'll just get over it and pull through anyways!"

He strongly gestured with his hands as he made his point, "Other meatsacks linger on to their sadness because they're too weak to pull themselves back up!"

Mabel's anger slowly faded as he finished off, peeved, "You're stronger than them! Or are you really too blind to see that?!"

He exhaled heavily, and she couldn't find it within herself to close her mouth.

She blinked, "I never… thought of myself that way."

"You're welcome," He hissed, but found himself wide-eyed when she suddenly embraced his torso.

Other then that, he had also realized everything he just said out of his traitorous mouth. What was he doing?! Did he just unintentionally cheer her up?! He's never actually cheered up anyone before! Or held connections with someone. Was this a connection with someone? Is this how it felt like? Well, he didn't know! Never, ever, not once in his 120 years of memories. Ugh, it was infuriating having no knowledge.

It was all her fault, probably.

She took his hand and tugged, "Come on! I wanna get some more toys!"

He bit back his tongue to argue that he didn't want to stick around, since a smile was now adoring her face.

Bill decided that it looked better on her, anyways.

* * *

 **Mabel! You are hereby arrested for your inability to stop yourself from changing people for the better and having them heed to your good judgement! Just kidding, I changed my mind because she's too nice for jail.**

 **Soos and Melody are just cute, adorable grown up kids.**

 **Yikes, that's quite an injury you had there, Pacifica. I'm no doctor, but you might wanna put some ice on that later.**

 **I apologize. I just really craved for some feels and ships and ship feels and feels ship.**

 **Again, HAPPY NEW YEARS! This'll be my last chapter for 2015! I hope I left it off with a blast!**

 **Bye bye!**


	24. Chapter 24

**First chapter to be published this new year! Did I take too long? My apologies!**

 **CrimsonKyuubiSage: I tried to wait at least one minute until new year, and thank you! ;)**

 **maranoismylife: THANK YOU VERY MUCH!**

 **INSERTNAMEHERE(Guest): Aw, thank you! Even though my story isn't super amazing popular, I shall continue on!**

 **ssnnooppyy(Guest): I HAVE NOT, AND I AM SCARED BUT EXCITED BUT NO I DON'T WANT IT TO END WHY**

 **Thank you my fellow authors and readers and guests for keeping up with this story with me!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

This area was now vacant too, it seemed. Well, when a commanding, urgent voice had echoed throughout the lit part of the fair, alerting the citizens of evacuation, then that was sure to happen.

"All citizens are to leave immediately. Technical difficulties are warned to be too dangerous to be around. We will try to fix it as soon as possible. Please wait until further notice."

Oddly enough, the message only came through once before it was abruptly cut off by static. Also, it sounded like Grunkle Ford's voice, much to Dipper's confusion.

"Oh man, we gotta end this quickly," Soos squished his face in horror, "We haven't ended our date with the ferris wheel ride!"

Melody placed a comforting hand on his arm, "Don't worry Soos, we'll stop her."

"Yep, don't worry about a thing!" Dipper twirled the large, metal fork in his hands before shoving it back into his vest with a smug smirk. He felt quite confident in his ability at the moment, since Pacifica had been convinced that he was reliable enough.

He remembered the scene so clearly, so well: _Pacifica rested her head under his chin and pleaded, "Please, save us all!"_

" _You can count on me." Dipper smoothed out her hair and cooed. She sighed cutely with relief, nuzzling herself deeper into his—apparently—muscled chest._

Soos and Melody looked weirdly at the young boy who was currently slightly red faced with closed eyes, and strangely silent. The apprentice didn't think that it was that hot tonight. It was quite the opposite, really. Melody snorted, "Uh, you alright, kid?"

Dipper snapped out of his reverie, and faced the two adults that held questioning stares. He tugged his shirt and looked away, voice cracking, "Yeah, I'm good."

Admittedly, that absolutely did not happen. And he had no idea why his memory played out like that. He decided it was best he would never, ever try to figure it out and just leave it be. The trio continued through the now empty pathways of the fair, disliking the eerie silence that reigned.

"Where could she be?" Melody asked from behind the two males. Soos and Dipper had their hands over their eyes, using it to help them scan the area. Rides were stopped in place, booths were vacant, food was left in the open.

Soos reached his hand over to take a stick of meat as discreetly as possible, but Melody stood right next to him, crossing her arms and cocking an eyebrow. He sweated, "You want one?"

She smiled, "You're such a gentleman."

The two shared the snack, much to Dipper's dismay. They were supposed to be searching for Giffany, who could be anywhere now. There was no time to dilly dally with sticks of meat and affectionate gazing! Although, they were also unaware of the fact that she already controlled all of the fair's contraptions and devices.

"She probably isn't that far, considering her target is Soos," Dipper concluded. The couple finished their meat on a stick and went back on track. Yet, during their eating, the young woman had spotted a flicker of light in the corner of her eye. Was that Giffany? Melody tapped her chin and hummed, "You think she can be lured out by Soos?"

Her boyfriend looked at her incredulously, "Are you offering to bait me?! We shared meat on a stick!"

"Of course I'm not," Melody gently placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm making you."

Suddenly, she pushed him outwards, making him stumble of his feet. Melody grabbed Dipper's wrist and jumped behind one of the trees that stood out like a sore thumb in the midst of all the booths and lights. Soos found his footing, but was frozen with shock at this betrayal. Dipper questioned, yet didn't leave his position,"Why are you willing to leave him out there alone? Would this even work?"

"He's got it, and we got him," Melody quietly reassured the brunette, "Plus, Giffany is totally crazy about him, right? Seeing that he's alone and abandoned is a sure opportunity for her to take."

Dipper was still staring at her with a slight mix of awe and disbelief. It was a quick thought up plan that seemed to be a good shot. Although, she had chosen to leave her new boyfriend out in the open? Where at any second, an evil being could come out and take him? That is, if Giffany could grab people.

How would she take him, actually? Did she have limbs made from electricity, or a robotic body? Would her energy be too uncontrollable to even form a recognizable shape of an arm? Would it be too much for the body, killing them instantly? These very important questions circled Dipper's head as his friend was vulnerable to this apparent kidnapping at any moment. Yes, very important.

Another flicker of light caught their attention. Suddenly, all the lights shut off, leaving the three inhabitants of the area without sight. Looking behind him, Dipper took note of the familiar illumination that shone in the distant, and the ferris wheel that beckoned for riders. So it was only their section that was pitch black, now.

Soos tapped his fingers nervously and fidgeted in his spot. He called out, "Guys?"

There was a rustle of grass and the scrunching of dry dirt. Soos spun around on his feet, only facing more darkness, "Who's there?!"

Melody and Dipper jerked at the abrupt shriek of their bait. Was Giffany already here?!

Dipper summoned his sword swiftly and hopped out from behind the tree. With a battle cry, he leapt towards Soos with his weapon raised, ready to fight off whatever might be attacking him.

There was an audible slice of air, and a familiar voice hissed out, "What are you doing, Pine Tree?!"

"Whatever you did, mysterious Pine Tree, thanks!" Soos yelped while dashing beside Dipper.

"Bill?" Dipper squinted his eyes at the outline of the two figures that stood before him. He was quite accustomed to both of them, but he recognized that annoyingly high pitched voice anywhere. Melody rushed beside the dark shape of the male twin, also unable to clearly see who the other two were. The brunette stabbed his sword into the ground and asked accusingly, "What are you doing?!"

He paused before correcting himself, "Here. What are you doing here?"

And then to their surprise, Mabel spoke up, "We were just trying to find you, and you nearly slice my hand off!"

She glared at a silhouette, "And to think that I was worried about you!"

There was a moment of silence, and then he replied, "I'm right here."

"I was worried!" Mabel shouted, pointing at another silhouette. Dipper rubbed the back of his head, "I'm still right here."

She blinked, "Oh, who is this, then?"

"I'm Melody, Soos' girlfriend." The young woman introduced herself, and Mabel gasped, "You must be the girl that Soos was talking about!"

Three sharp inhales were heard, and Dipper scratched his cheek, "Eh, not exactly."

"What do you mean?" Mabel asked innocently, and Soos nervously chuckled, "That's a funny question."

"I'm not laughing," Bill stated boredly. Although the rest could not see, but his eye was trailing a certain movement that was visible to his eye only and detected by his senses. Giffany was probably watching them, trying to see if she could be a step further than their plan. Like he'd let her have her way.

"Whatever, just keep your voices down. Since this'll take a while, I'll go nap," Bill floated on his back, resting his head on his crossed arms. Would the reunion just end already so they could get out of this vicinity? Soos cleared his throat, volume lowered at the fright of irking the dream-demon, "I may have, sort've, possibly, maybe—"

"Soos!" Dipper cut him off with a forced whisper, "We have to get going, just tell her."

"I… uh… didn't actually tell… you…" Choking sounds were heard. Soos could only imagine the curious and ingenuous expression she had, unaware of his awful lie. He couldn't do it!

"Dipper, you tell her!" He shouted quietly, and said boy was dumbfounded, "Huh?! Why me—?"

"Come on, you're making me wish I wasn't immortal!" Bill groaned from above them. Mabel crossed her arms, "Just tell me."

Even though none of them could see each other's body gestures, it was a force of habit. Dipper rolled his eyes, "Soos lied to you about his first girlfriend."

She turned to the outline of her older friend, "The one from the dating site?"

Soos replied regretfully, "Yes, because I was too ashamed that I was trying to stick with a digital psychopath."

He had gone even quieter with the last part, which was understandable. Everyone waited for her reaction that seemed to take a pretty long while. Bill tapped his finger against his arm impatiently to prove he had been listening and was also waiting. But he had seen Giffany leave the area, now approaching the border. He narrowed his eye with suspicion.

Dipper coughed awkwardly into his fist, Melody was quietly humming, and Soos was darting his eyes from one point to another.

Mabel said blithely, "I know."

"W-What?" Soos was flabbergasted, as was Dipper, who scorned, "You knew?!"

"Of course I did, I just wanted Soos to tell it to me in my face," She chuckled. Melody furrowed her eyebrows, "How did you know?"

"Easy." Mabel clarified, "You can't actually find someone on a dating site!"

There was a collection of murmurs and mumbles that agreed with her statement. Bill yawned as he reappeared beside her, "Oh, what day is it?"

"Still Valentine's, and we have to save it before it's ruined!" Mabel pumped her fist, earning cheers from the two young adults. Dipper gagged, "It's already in ruins."

"Shut it, Pine Tree," Bill glared at the figure, who glared back and pointed his sword menacingly, "It's too bad I didn't cut you instead."

"Like you could."

"Wanna bet?"

"Can I put some in?" Soos asked, and Melody did as well, "Me too!"

"No!" Mabel stomped her foot down, "No betting, no cutting, no more arguing! Today is Valentine's Day, and I want to enjoy it after we take down this insane software girl!"

Dipper forced his sword away and shoved his hands in his vest pockets. Bill huffed and frowned deeply. They both responded simultaneously, "Fine."

"Aw, I wanted to win," Soos said dejectedly. Mabel just walked in front of the group, "Let's go find Giffany!"

As they were following closely behind her, although not as confidently because of the darkness, Bill looked over at the chubby one. He never actually met this one personally, and he struck him as an oddball. A nickname would be needed.

The blonde leaned in and whispered, "You would've betted on me, right, Question Mark?"

Before Soos could respond, Mabel unexpectedly stopped where she was, and turned around. Dipper and Bill could practically see the sheepish smile on her face as she spoke, "I have no idea where we are going."

"As expected," Bill muttered, before lighting up his hand with a bright yellow and blue flame. The group could now see each other's faces, and would you look at that, she had been smiling sheepishly. Dipper growled, "You couldn't have done that earlier?"

Bill shrugged nonchalantly. They looked down the path, seeing that they could've bumped into several objects. Mabel whooped, "Great! Let's get going!"

The group of five continued on their way. Bill scrunched his face in irritation at receiving no gratitude.

Mabel and Dipper walked side by side, in the front of the group. She softly commented, "I'm sorry about what happened with Wendy."

He took a glimpse at her, "It's not your fault."

"I'm the one who suggested that Grunkle Stan and I push you," She casted her eyes downwards and ran her fingers through her hair, "Look what happened. I guess Valentine's Day really isn't your day."

"I guess it isn't," Dipper lightly punched her arm, causing her to look up. He shot her a smile, "but you always make it better."

She smiled back, and Bill retched, "Disgusting; raw human emotions."

Dipper sent a glare full of daggers over his shoulder, and Mabel just laughed. Melody and Soos joined in her giggling.

* * *

Pacifica staggered through the dark and empty paths of the fair. She let out a small yelp of pain and surprise when she bumped into something on accident. Using her hands to guide her better, she moved out of the way of the objects. The headmistress was strong, but she didn't have night vision. This would have to do for now, however.

Had the people evacuated? Perhaps not, seeing there were still dazzling lights beyond the boundary of dullness. However, she soon heard rapid footsteps, gradually becoming louder as it neared her. A beam of light was waving frantically.

Fiddleford turned the corner, and skidded to a halt at the sight of her disheveled, bloodied hair and of the dirt smudging her clothes and sticking to her skin. He didn't know what to say first, opening and closing his mouth several times. She felt a tick mark pop upon her head at his hesitance and the flashlight that blinded her eyes, "What is it?!"

Maybe this wasn't a good time to make a jest, but he did so anyway, "I see why you aren't a ghostbuster."

A white rapier whizzed past his cheek, barely scratching his skin. He gulped at her icy glare, and primed her, "Giffany has become even more powerful. Ford and I came when we lost you in the call to evacuate the people."

Pacifica forced herself to walk a steady pace towards the brighter areas of the fair while McGucket walked beside her. He questioned, "What happened in your fight?"

"She electrocuted me," Pacifica mumbled. He recoiled, "What?! How did you heal?"

She made sure not to look his way, "Ford's grandnephew passed by and assisted me a bit, but I'm still unbalanced."

"If you can't fight for now, then we'll just stop Giffany," McGucket told her, referring to himself and Ford. She shook her head, "I already gave the metal fork to him."

"Him? To Ford's grandnephew?"

She could practically hear his eyes bulge out of his sockets; gross. Pacifica kept her eyes forward, "Yes, I thought it was a good judgement call."

Before he could remark, she shot him her signature glare, "Is that a problem?"

"No, no, not at all!" Fiddleford backed away a few steps, "It's just unexpected, but I'm sure you know what you're doing!"

"Good," She replied her famous response to most things. He turned away, and told her, "Ford should have already called for evacuation."

"Why didn't we hear it here?"

"The electricity in this area is virtually nonexistent. It's probably been absorbed by Giffany," He felt a sweat trailed down, "She just keeps gaining more power."

"Hey, don't sweat it," Pacifica palmed her fist and smirked, "We'll take her down."

"We?" McGucket asked, and she nodded, "Yep, we."

"Um, are you sure you're alright?" Fiddleford asked. Pacifica stiffly responded, "Just peachy."

They continued their way through the lifeless parts of the fair, using the flashlight to lead them. They were getting closer to the lit up part of the fair, and would make it in no time with the pace they were making.

McGucket couldn't help but think about the item that he and Ford had created to capture Giffany. It seemed almost full proof, but a flaw still clawed his mind. What was the flaw? Was he too desperate to actually notice that there was one? He had rushed it out just like that, not completely checking the entire metal fork. It was obvious, wasn't it? But if it was, how come he couldn't remember it?

Pacifica gritted her teeth, had she made the mistake of giving the metal fork to Dipper? At this rate, they may reach Giffany before he does. But they wouldn't be able to stop her. However, that should be impossible for them to reach her before he did. Giffany was after Soos, not them. And maybe he was right, that she could depend on him.

McGuckets flashlight died out. He cursed and banged the handle against his hand, but Pacifica stopped him, "No need, we're here."

Pacifica stood at the perimeter of the gloomy part of the fair. The lights were stretching, attempting to take over, but it didn't get very far. The dark fought back, its greedy claws unevenly gaining some territory. It was amazing, really. Almost as if there was a struggling border that divided the dark and the light, even if they tried to cross over. For some odd reason, she mulled over taking a step into the light. It just seemed as though she was stepping into another world, which left her brain with an imagination she never knew she had.

But she stepped over anyways, and the imagination shattered like broken glass shot by a bullet. Of course, they were still in their mundane world, where light and dark were nothing but symbolic.

McGucket followed behind her as she recollected her thoughts and strode through the gleaming fair. The resumed their destination near the gate. For a while, it was consistent walking with a lack of conversation. But abruptly, the blonde stopped where she was. Puzzled, he surveyed briskly, "There's no one here."

No, there definitely was. She could feel it, like a sensation that crawled from her back and ran through her entire being. And not a good kind of sensation. It was chilling and ominous. This hasn't happened before. Had the strike of black lightning provide her with the ability to gain this kind of detection?

But what exactly was she detecting?

Pacifica had a vague idea, and decided to test it. Summoning her sword, she flicked it over at a string of lights that hung somewhere beside them. The two halves swung and hung limply. They both observed a stream of electricity that fled from the lights to another string of lights. McGucket was flabbergasted, "She's here?!"

Pacifica curled her lip, so she was right about the sensation. Whatever, she had to focus on this right now. She bent her knees, prepared to launch after the software. But Giffany cackled, her voice echoed from all directions, "So I'm **trapped** in here, **huh**? So is Soos, and I'll **just keep him here too!** "

McGucket sneered, "We won't let you, Giffany!"

There was a sudden pause, before a light giggle rang out. Her voice was silky, laced with recognition and disdain. It wasn't booming or forced, "I remember you. You looked better ages ago."

"You look better gone," McGucket clenched his fists. Giffany scoffed, "That was your best remark? Hah, you couldn't get rid of me years ago. You think you can do it now?"

"Whatever it takes!" He shouted to all sides. Pacifica's expression momentarily became skeptical with a hint of concern, before it changed back to its stern stare. She planted firmly, "It isn't just him, there's more of us. We'll take you down."

Silence. Giffany twitched, her program flaring. How naive were these impudent humans? She had already obtained a great amount of electricity, converting it into dark energy, fueling and increasing her power. They wouldn't stand a chance against her. They were just begging to be destroyed. Who was she to not deliver?

" **Then I'll just get rid of you all.** "

Black unraveled like ribbons and enveloped them both. All of the fair lights went completely out.

Pacifica wielded her sword, set for action. McGucket shuffled on his feet, trying to find Giffany's location so he could notify the headmistress as soon as possible. But unbeknownst to him, that was unnecessary. An overwhelming perception was eating at her. She could just feel where and how far Giffany was exactly.

A whirring noise resonated from the side. McGucket snapped his head over, but Pacifica had already knew better, "Fool me once, shame on you."

She swung her sword, deflecting the black bolt of lightning that left a thundering rumble in its wake from behind them. It bounced back towards the sky, splitting off into smaller and smaller branches of electricity until it finally vanished.

"Fool me twice, shame on me," Pacifica twirled her sword, before posing it in front of her boastful smirk. Vengeance would taste sweet.

She drew out her regular stance, and apprised the older man, "Go try to find the others."

He complied, but looked back, "Are you sure you'll be fine?"

"Just peachy." Pacifica responded once again, and it was all he needed to carry out his orders. But really, how long would people keep offering to finish his work for him?

Another reverberation sounded, this time it caused the ground to vibrate underneath her. It headed towards her in a flash. The headmistress foresaw the attack, and sidestepped out of the way. The tent behind her bursted into flames, but she didn't mind. It only provided her with better sight. Pacifica sprung upwards and sliced all the lights on a string in one swing. The glass broke and fell to the ground with tinkling.

She continued doing so to the other lights, not letting Giffany have a chance to recover. Said deranged AI was attempting to bolt from one bulb to another, since they were a bit harder to hit and to be distinguished by. But it was as if Pacifica was reading her every movement, knowing where she would be next!

Cheater! She didn't like cheaters! Giffany took the split second to fire several, tinier forks of lightning at her foe from below, hoping it would catch her off her steady progress. To her glee, it worked. Pacifica rolled in the air, dodging them, before landing on the ground. Her single moment of lowering her guard was just enough for Giffany to send an attack on a larger scale.

Giffany shot another powerful, black bolt of electricity at Pacifica, one that left her vision to blur and her body to slightly shake. The blonde swiftly lifted her sword up to brace for the attack, but the impact almost knocked her off her feet. She clenched her teeth and pushed back, feeling the intense heat licking her hands through her gloves.

Not wanting to take anymore than this, Pacifica arched her arm above her head, once again sending the mass amount of energy towards the sky. It exploded with a boom, until it dissipated into nothing, almost like fireworks.

A nonstop shower of little bolts directed towards her, and she was forced to evade them. Pacifica couldn't find the chance to play on the offensive. Giffany's obnoxious guffaw was really starting to get on her nerves, too. Well, if she couldn't attack close up, then she may have to do it from afar.

Pacifica slid away from the harmful flares, before hurling her sword towards another stream of lights as if it was a small knife. She smirked as Giffany was compelled to enter another device. With a shimmer of bright purple light, her white rapier reappeared in her hand. Aiming it with quick precision, she shot her sword again, effectively destroying more of the light bulbs.

Her sword reappeared in her hand again. Just as she was about to throw it, a burning pain stung at her arm, and she dropped her sword in shock. It clattered on the ground before disappearing. Her arm throbbed like a heartbeat, and her finger flitted across the new wound. Just a graze of touch angered the already blistering skin, and she hissed.

Giffany took the chance to charge up her next bolt of black lighting, this one would be too fierce to even handle being nearby. Yes! Any moment now, and that blonde would be burnt to ash!

Her hands weren't even remotely the resemblance of a human's. Instead, it was composed of a wispy, black ink that sparked near the end. She rose them, ready to fire her ultimate attack at the defenseless girl!

And then she felt herself being… not as ready. Her energy felt as though it was being drained, and her plane of existence almost became completely black before it lit up again with her bursting amounts of energy. But she couldn't feel her connections with any of the other electronic contraptions in the fair, and she wasn't able to exit this area. It felt like she was fenced in a small, invisible cage, and she banged the force field. Giffany screamed, " **WHAT'S GOING ON?!** "

"Gotcha!" Dipper held up the metal fork that was glistening with a strange hue. Mabel, Soos, and Melody cheered, "We did it!"

As Pacifica used her other hand to fish out another healing potion, McGucket yelled breathlessly, "Destroy it!"

Melody grinned, "We should totally find a super, diabolical way of destroying it."

"You're a genius!" Soos told her, before snatching the metal fork out of Dipper's grip. He waved it around like it was a trophy, "Let's see… should we throw it in lava?"

"We could tie it to a shark?" Melody suggested. Mabel joined in, "Let's send the shark into the volcano!"

"And also with dynamite!" Soos said with starry eyes, receiving two approving nods from the females. Dipper tried to take it back, "Hey, I captured her! Let me hold it!"

The four began to bicker about trivial things such as who gets to hold it and how they get to destroy it. Bill stood at the back, eye narrowed with his hand still aflame. He glanced at Llama, who also had a uncertain glint in her eyes. Could she see it too?

Unexpectedly, Soos yelped and tossed the metal fork to Dipper, "Take it!"

"Yeah, that's right—ow!" He hurriedly dropped the object onto the ground and fanned his hands. Perturbed, Mabel stepped back a few, "Is it supposed to be glowing red like that?"

Out of all the times to remember the flaw, it was now. McGucket remembered that since the metal fork was indeed metal, Giffany would have the ability to still obtain and store electricity inside the fork. She could also expand her dark energy to fight off the clutches of her enemies, making her the ultimate defensive creature. At least, he still had some sense to place a strong spell to block her from escaping. This was literally her heart now.

The metal fork rose a few feet of the ground, radiating a crimson red, bordering white. Suddenly, it fired bolts of electricity at random, causing everyone to leap into hiding spots. Bill stayed where he was, unblinking. Dipper dug his nails into his palms and barked at him, "Take my sister out of here!"

Bill rose his eyebrows at the demand, "Why?"

"Please!" Dipper pleaded, but Bill only stared, "That useless word will get you nowhere."

"You're infuriating!"

"I'm well aware," Bill smirked, unaffected by the bolts and Dipper's furious glare. He was just about to disappear from the battlefield, but his eye caught onto Mabel's.

She gazed at him as if he wasn't doing anything wrong, or anything out of the blue. As if she actually understood why he chose to leave her to potentially die here. Truth is, he wasn't sure he knew himself. Why couldn't he just leave these pathetic meatsacks to die? Let alone this one girl who he barely cares about. Yet the thought of her dying made his repulsive human-like organs squirm a bit and an unpleasant feeling that harbored in his chest, which he strongly disliked.

He grabbed the girl by her sweater and jeered at her brother, "Hope you die."

The absolute look of disbelief on Dipper's face was something that Bill was sure he could laugh at for days. If it was because he had just told the boy to go die or because he actually saved his sister from likely death, he didn't know. But deciding not to stick around for a response, Bill and Mabel teleported right outside the fair, where hundreds of other citizens were waiting.

More than a few of them turned their heads to the abrupt appearance of the two. A familiar figure hurriedly approached them. Bill gave an exasperated cry while Mabel snapped out of her astonishment and announced happily, "Grunkle Ford!"

Meanwhile, Pacifica ordered from across the dirt path, "Focus, Dipper!"

The male twin profusely shook his head out of shock to start thinking clearly again. His greatest apologies to Bill, but he wasn't planning on dying. Dipper loudly questioned, "So what do we do now?!"

"Think of something!" Pacifica flinched her hand away from a strike of lightning that nearly hit her hand. The scorched ground mocked her, but she ignored it. Dipper still managed to place an undertone of contempt even though the sheer strength of the energy was causing their hair to whip in their faces, "Easier said than done, got any other smart advice?!"

"Don't you dare sass me!"

"I'll sass you whenever I want!"

"I will rip you apart before Giffany can!" She threatened, albeit the current situation. The stress of getting herself and the others out of their tight predicament was coming down harder than she desired. He only felt the same, and argued back, "Giffany will rip you apart before you can rip me apart!"

"This is not the time for this!" McGucket barged in, "You're both acting like children!"

She sputtered, appalled, "I'm acting like a child?!"

"You are one!" Dipper practically spat in her face. She spat back, "So are you!"

McGucket facepalmed, when would he stop making things worse?

* * *

 **Oh goodness gracious the part where Dipper was remembering his interaction with Pacifica that wasn't even close to what actually happened made me laugh while typing and I had to stop for a moment.**

 **Ah yes, I wonder why Bill. And oh, what is this, a new powerup for Pacifica? Giffany is just getting stronger and stronger and stronger, what shall they do? McGucket, have any ideas?**

 **Until next time!**


	25. Chapter 25

**StarCre8tion: Oh my oh my oh my you just added to my grinning. Thank you soo much!**

 **Matt(Guest): Exactly my objective, happy to see it's working :D**

 **KittyCat151: Glad you enjoyed that part, I know I did xD**

 **SeoulXTusta: Welcome welcome welcome! Thank you, I try!**

 **hijackforever: OH HELLO THERE, THANK YOU!**

 **Guest: I appreciate the support :3**

 **maranoismylife: Oh, you, you made me have the aasdfgghjkl so thank you for that.**

 **Aqua Burst 07: I always love some gooood action. I wonder indeed, shall we find out?**

 **Domination(Guest): You can say it a thousand times and I'll always smile for that, thank you! Delighted that you enjoyed that part, and I do love gradual love that isn't super rushed, there's more depth.**

 **ssnnooppyy(Guest): Yes, writing out fight scenes do take some thought, I try to make it all connected and effective. Pleased that you enjoyed that part too, oh my! :o thank you!**

 **NickStriker: It's a lot more interesting than how it's supposed to go, my cup of tea :P**

 **I know, I literally just replied to all the reviews of and after chapter 24 was posted, when I usually select a few. I couldn't help myself, all of you were so kind, you deserved to have some recognition! But thank you all! All of you, all of you, everyone that cracks even the slightest smile when you're reading my story.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

What an unbelievable sight to behold. It was so unbelievable, Ford believed that he wasn't seeing things straight. Had Stan done something to his glasses when he wasn't looking? Or perhaps this entire night was just a terrible nightmare, probably gifted to him by Bill.

Speaking of which, the extremely annoying, infamous dream-demon was casually holding onto his beloved grandniece's pure, dainty hand. And she didn't even seem to care, waving around her other hand as Ford strode towards the pair, hollering for him.

Ford hoped that she didn't really like her hand—her right hand, to be specific—because he'd have to amputate it and send it off into the hottest sun known to man while drenched in bleach and nuclear waste.

Bill instantly frowned at the approaching older man. Since Ford did live in Gravity Falls almost his entire life, the blonde had run in with him a few times, and none of them were remotely good. He wasn't exactly the bane of his existence. In fact, he was very fun to mess around with. But the scientist was more like the impossible-to-kill mosquito of his existence that kept coming back to try and kill him with his petty attacks, and it only added to the amusement of his somber immortal life.

"Grunkle Ford! What's up?" Mabel greeted once her great uncle was standing in front of them. However, he didn't answer. And suddenly, the atmosphere was so intense, the observing bystanders turned away. She looked between the two males that held burning glares at each other, seeing who would break away first. Mabel grimaced, another Dipper? Or was Dipper another Ford?

"Sixer."

"Cipher."

Those were the only words uttered. Mabel pursed her lips and awkwardly fiddled with her fingers. She never was good with this kind of thing. Perhaps she should break the silence? The female twin opened her mouth, prepared to say something, anything.

"Sixeeer," Bill drawled obnoxiously. Mabel shut her mouth, anticipating some more dialogue to come forth. But Ford only replied, snidely stretching his voice, "Cipheeer."

"And Mabeeel!" She quietly sang, trying to diminish some of the tension. She liked to think that it worked because Ford had hissed angrily, "You want to die, don't you?"

Okay, maybe it didn't work. Bill created a perfect arch of his brow, "What brought this on?"

Ford sneered, "Don't play stupid. Your hands are out in the open for everyone to see."

Bill and Mabel both looked down to see that they were indeed comfortably holding each other's hands. Pink dusted her cheeks, and she refused to look up. The dream-demon released her in a millisecond, and crossed his arms, "You should be thanking me for saving her."

"She wouldn't have been here in the first place if it wasn't for you," Ford declared crossly. Bill rolled his eye, "She's the one who wanted to pull me along."

"Hey!" Mabel pouted at being dragged into the argument. Bill shrugged, "It's true."

"Your entire existence is despicable," Ford spat, while Bill scoffed, "What have I ever done to you?"

"Taken my experiments, filled my sleep with nightmares, set the shack on fire more than once—"

"Untrue! That one time I was trying to aim for the invisible apple on your head. It was just a game!"

Ford huffed, "That one time you were hit by my tranquilizer on accident and tried to hit me again, the other time where you were trying to kill Bigfoot, the time where that mermaid tried to take you—"

"She was asking for it," Bill mumbled, and Mabel furrowed her eyebrows, "Why would she try to take you?"

"My powerful being allured her, plus a few others, and they tried to eat me."

"Powerful my a—" Mabel shot Ford a glare, and he quickly corrected himself, "—ccentuated bottom."

She smiled approvingly, but then scrunched her nose, "Mermaids don't eat people, they're nice!"

"One, I am not a person, I am a dream-demon," Bill listed, "Two, mermaids are blood-hungry, seducing beasts."

Mabel puffed her cheeks, "I don't believe you!"

"Clearly, you've never met a mermaid before."

"I'd love to!" Mabel gasped, "Would you take me?!"

"Wha—"

Ford cut in, "No! Mabel, sweetie, as much as I'd hate to admit, but mermaids aren't as friendly as you think, and I don't want to have you hang around this guy anymore."

She looked away adamantly, "I'm still going."

Mabel grabbed Bill's arm, jerking him towards her, "And he'll go with me. Why don't you come, too?"

Ford chuckled nervously, "That's an experience I wouldn't like to repeat. But, dear—"

She stubbornly gazed at her great uncle, and he knew that he had lost. Ford sighed and pinched his nose bridge, one big problem wasn't solved yet, and was still raging in front of them. Now they'd have to deal with another one upcoming in the future?

"If this means to prove you wrong, I'm all for it," Bill grinned cockily at her, to which she gave back a challenging look. Ford clicked his tongue, "You're pretentious."

The dream-demon shot him a curl of the lip, "And you're senile."

The denoted pretentious blonde and the assumed senile old man ended up glaring at each other again, and Mabel sighed.

The crowds of citizens were observing the situation of the fair, wondering when they would be able to go back inside, if it was still in one piece. Two others walked out from the huddled up people. Candy and Grenda excitedly went up to the female twin. The bespectacled girl smiled cheekily, "So that's your Valentine?"

"In the flesh," Mabel confirmed with a nod. Grenda squeaked, "Ooh, he's pretty easy on the eyes."

"Grenda!" The brunette flushed a pretty crimson. Candy wiggled her eyebrows, "She's not wrong."

"Candy! You guys!" Mabel shouted at her friends that were too busy staring at the dream-demon. She frantically thought up of something to say to lose their interest, "You know he's a demon? I may die!"

"A demon? Is that Bill Cipher?!" Grenda gasped, earning Mabel to profusely nod. But the bigger girl only gave her a suggestive look, "That's quite scandalous of you, Mabel."

"Isn't that so romantic? The super bad guy doesn't harm the sweet, lovely girl," Candy whispered as she leaned against Grenda. They both squealed at the thought. Even though it didn't seem humanly possible, the poor brunette's face became even redder. Candy looked at her slyly, "Of course, if you don't want him, we won't mind."

The two swooned at Bill, who was still glaring at her great uncle. His eye was intense, his jaw was taut, and the blonde hair that stuck out from his top hat grazed his face. The suit was all too appealing on him as well.

Mabel shook out of her reverie. No way, her friends would not do this right in front of her! She ran in their view and cried out, "Stop staring at him!"

The outburst caused a few bystanders to turn their heads, especially Ford and Bill. The older man was wide-eyed, placing a hand over his chest, "I'm flattered, but I'm way too old."

Candy and Grenda snapped from their daze to stick their tongues out in disgust. Before leaving, Grenda called out with a wink, "He's a keeper!"

"Jerks!" She called back, covering her burning ears.

She looked towards the powerless fair, seeing the fierce illumination that produced violent winds and booming thunder. Lightning bolts sprung here and there, flashing the scene. It was as if a cloudless storm resided inside the fair, angrily ripping away at it slowly until nothing was left. Mabel hoped that Dipper and Pacifica would be able to stop it before that happened, and that her other friends would make it out safely.

She narrowed her eyes, "Is that… smoke?"

True enough, there was now growing flames that were reaching for the night sky that created large puffs of smoke. The fair was sure to be impossible to play in after this. Mabel dropped her head in disappointment.

"Oh, look what you did!" Ford threw his arms up, and Bill looked at him incredulously, "I'm innocent!"

A small lie never hurt anyone, but Ford looked as if he was struck by a bolt of lightning, "You? Innocent?"

The scientist guffawed relentlessly, clutching his stomach with one hand as he held himself up with the other. He took a few breaths to steady himself, but one look at the unimpressed dream-demon drove him into another fit of uncontrollable laughter.

As Ford was currently writhing on the grassy ground, Bill flew over to Mabel, "What is it now, Shooting Star?"

She looked at her hands, "I lost my bag of toys… and the fair is on fire now."

They both looked up to see the red and orange that burned beautifully, but ominously. Bill smirked, "You gotta love fire."

"Not really," Mabel shrugged sheepishly.

The boisterous bellowing stopped. Mabel and Bill turned around to find Ford lying silently, having passed out from laughing too hard. She creeped over and picked up a stick, before kneeling down beside the body. Poking her great uncle tentatively, Mabel pouted as Bill held in the urge to chuckle. There was no response.

Mabel blew a raspberry, "This is officially the weirdest Valentine's Day ever."

* * *

Pacifica slapped Soos right in his chubby cheek, much to the couple's confusion. She stated matter-of-factly, "That's for all the trouble you've caused so far."

She leaped away before they could react, over the fire that ate away at the tents and left behind charred cloth. The electricity would strike their hiding spots, forcing them to move to different positions. Almost all of them would hit the tents, setting them aflame, leaving smoke to rise up and a foul stench to disperse throughout the area. Pacifica hopped away from one of the fair games to hurl her sword at the metal fork. It collided with a resounding ding, not giving any effect.

As she recovered behind another booth, Pacifica shouted to the couple that were being targeted the most, "Make a run for it!"

"I won't! I'll help!" Soos shouted back, seemingly recovered from the slap he received. Melody declared, "I'm staying with him."

Pacifica groaned at their defiance, and she turned to McGucket, "Thought up of anything yet?!"

"Still thinking!" The engineer was jotting down scribbles on a small notepad, making sure not to get noticed. Pacifica scanned for Dipper through the fire and smoke, along with the blinding radiance that came from the glowing red metal fork in the center.

Flames were taking down the tents, leaving ash to be carried around by the vicious winds. It was hot, it made them sweat, and it brought bad memories to arise in Dipper's mind. Fire was something he preferred to not be surrounded by, not anymore. Everytime Melody or Soos shrieked in surprise, more voices seemed to ring in his ears. Like ghosts calling him out, trying to drag him back down the lane of trauma.

He swung his sword at another bolt that aimed for him, but for some reason, his sword had seemed a bit heavier than usual at the moment. Dipper used his weapon to defend himself, but the bolt ended up knocking him off his feet and behind a booth.

The sword clattered to the ground, before vanishing. He clutched his head as his face contorted in pain. This shouldn't affect him anymore, the past was the past. But why was it? Why did it keep screaming at him, telling him that he hadn't remembered clear enough?

Remember what?

Someone grabbed him by the shoulders, calling his name. Was that… Mabel? She wasn't supposed to be here!

Dipper snapped his eyes open to meet Pacifica's worried ones. They were both hiding behind a booth, and the tinnitus was fading away from his ears. She subconsciously cupped his face, "Are you hurt?!"

He didn't respond. The male twin was like a frightened child that had seen a ghost. She tried to shout urgently, but desperation clung to her voice, "Dipper, please, we need you to be okay! I don't have anymore potions, so we have to be extra cautious!"

He gulped down all of the anxiety that clawed at his throat. That's right, his parents died for their children, for him and Mabel. He couldn't leave that to waste, he couldn't dread about it right now, whatever it was. Dipper blinked rapidly, collecting his thoughts. He lowered her hands and nodded with a small smile, "Didn't I tell you not to worry?"

He stood up dramatically with newfound confidence, but swiftly dodged the lightning strike that flew over his head, leaving his hat a tiny flame of it's own. Dipper yelped and patted it down, before fixing it onto his head again. He questioningly stared at Pacifica, "Before we jump in, do you have a plan?"

"I had hoped you had one," She gritted her teeth. Dipper pursed his lips, before peering over the booth. Giffany was remarkably powerful now, and was overflowing with electrical power. It was actually worse because she was converting it into dark energy. They had to remove her power somehow, and leave behind just her.

"I got it, but it's a bit risky." Dipper stated after a moment, and Pacifica asked, "Doesn't matter, what do you have?"

"If we can just take away a majority or even all of her electrical power, than we can get close enough to destroy just her. But I'm not sure how."

Just then, McGucket rolled in, holding two lengthy metal rods that were from one of the fallen tents. He smirked, "Way ahead of you, kid."

He placed them down so it wouldn't accidentally collect a bolt of electricity, and began explaining to the pair, "She's shooting at Soos and Melody. Giffany is using her power out of envy and fury, so if you both can defend them while leading her closer to Giffany, drawing all of her attention, then I'll sneak behind and redirect her power."

"Won't you be electrocuted?" Pacifica frowned. McGucket waved her off, "Perhaps a slight permanent burn inside my body, but we have to stop her no matter the cost, and soon."

A bolt of lightning struck another tent just far in front of them, causing more damage. They had to solve this quickly.

However, her duty was to protect all of the citizens of Gravity Falls, and that included him as well. Was he insane to have that much electricity pass through his aged body? Could she really let him?

Suddenly, he was calling for Soos and Melody, and they were already dashing to their spot. McGucket informed the two about his plan, earning another frown from Soos, "Sir, that's insane and dangerous!"

They yelped at another bolt of lightning, one that was closer than the last.

"Got any other plans?" His mentor inquired, and Soos found that he did not. Dipper and Melody also felt queasy that he was sacrificing himself like this, but how else could they redirect her power without having a human being in the middle? The male twin sat back, pondering. He surveyed the area, and any resources they could also use. His squinted eyes darted to the materials, recognizing there were still lights hanging around and more metal rods scattered on the ground.

Yet another bolt of lightning struck, even closer to where they were hiding. In the midst of all the chaos, they could hear her voice, adding to it, " **WHERE ARE YOU?!** "

Giffany had obtained all of her electricity from the fair, so what if they just give it all back? Dipper abruptly questioned, "Where's the generator located?"

The other four looked at him weirdly, before McGucket answered, "Somewhere outside the perimeter of the fair, why?"

"I have a plan, one that doesn't need you to potentially die," Dipper stated, before elaborating, "McGucket can lead me to the generator, while we set up metal rods in the ground strung with the wires of lights. Then, once that's all set, we can send the last metal rod towards Giffany so that it will attract the electricity and keep the current moving until it reaches the generator. Soos and Melody can stay here to keep her attention while Pacifica keeps watch."

Pacifica's eyes widened in amazement while McGucket dropped his jaw in awe, and he gave an impressed laugh, "You really are Ford's grandnephew."

Dipper smiled at the compliment, but another thunder reverberated throughout the vicinity and now the tent was dropping flaming pieces of cloth on their heads. He commanded, "Let's get to it!"

Dipper and McGucket fled the burning area, gathering the metal rods and wires of lights once they were far enough. The brunette stuck his tongue out as he tied the lights to each rod, making sure he had enough. He quickly stuck one rod in the battleground to start off, leaving behind another one next to it to prepare for when they came back, before fleeing again. McGucket ran in front while Dipper hastily followed behind, often leaving a metal rod tucked in the ground as far as it could go while it was still connected. It would take a little bit until they'd reach the generator.

Pacifica did her part of Dipper's plan. She twirled her sword around, deftly moving to deflect every bolt that came her way. She had to keep Giffany's concentration on them to make sure that the software didn't realize that two of the original five were missing. Which meant the blonde would pop up from her hiding places a little more than before.

Soos gripped Melody's hand tightly, ensuring that they would be okay. They gazed at each other affectionately, but hers seemed almost sad. He reassured, "We'll win!"

"It's not that," Melody wiped her brow of sweat and looked up at her boyfriend. They barely knew each other, but they were still learning. Yet, they were already going through a lot together, and she believed that they'd be able to get through a lot more. So she had to tell him, "I've been meaning to tell you that I'm going to be leaving Gravity Falls tomorrow."

Even when they were surrounded by roaring fire and rushing winds, Soos felt his heart sink with dejection, along with his face, "You are?"

"Yes," Melody held her hair from blowing in front of her face, "but I don't want to break up with you, Soos. I really, really like you."

The dreading feeling in his chest disappeared in an instant. He felt ecstatic, and smiled widely, "Ditto."

This would've been a perfect moment to kiss, right? After the confession and in the light hearted moment. Well, maybe he would have if it wasn't for the fact that everything around them was burning to the ground and filling his lungs with smoke, but that didn't stop Melody. Maybe it was romantic to her.

Their dry lips met in a chaste, abrupt kiss, before she pulled away. He licked his lips, although that didn't really work either, because his tongue was also dry. He snorted, "We should do that again when our lips aren't numb with heat."

"Agreed," She nodded. The two ran to yet another spot to hide as their previous one was struck and collapsing.

Pacifica breathed deeply, trying to catch some fresh air. But there was barely any, the increasing fire produced more smoke. It pricked her pale skin and forced sweat to run down. Her hair was slightly frizzled, letting a few blonde strands out of its usual straightness. She was losing poise, but it didn't mean much to her since she had been fighting for a while in these conditions.

The headmistress coughed into her hand, doubling over. Her vision was becoming blurrier every minute, and she couldn't tell if her eyes were watering or dried up. She refrained from leaning against one of the poles, since her back was still bare from her first battle with Giffany. She didn't need to have it scorching with pain again.

Pacifica firmly clutched her handle, seeing her reflection in the pure white blade. What would her parents think if they saw her this messy? She could laugh right now at the fear she felt of her parents' opinion instead of Giffany's rampaging strength. Regaining her balance and mustering up her own strength, she leaped out into the open again.

The night was actually chilly. It was weird to transition from furious heated winds to a serene breeze. Dipper had to stop again, tying more wires of lights to more metal rods. The fair was bigger than he had thought, but the generator should be close by. McGucket pointed, "Just up ahead!"

Dipper thrusted more metal rods in the dirt, stretching the wires of lights as far as it could go without breaking them. He recognized the fence that caged the fair, and the a backdoor that led to the outside.

McGucket attempted to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. The male twin wasted no time in summoning his weapon and cutting through the metal. They saw the white truck with the supposed generator, along with another door that was probably locked as well. Dipper darted forward and sliced off the lock without hesitation. McGucket whistled, "That sword can cut through some solid steel."

"Happy to be of service," The brunette replied as they went inside the truck.

Dipper held the wire of lights in his hand as he looked around the room. It wasn't very large, but it had just enough room to fit the generator along with some wide panels and circuits. McGucket took out a screwdriver and moved next to the panel on the generator. Opening it quickly, they saw the variety of wires with sophisticated positioning in the circuit board. This must be it.

Dipper took the end of the wire of lights and tied to to one of the wires on the circuit board, hoping that would be enough. McGucket placed his tool back in its place on his tool belt, "This should be good, let's head back and finish this."

The two ran as fast as they could. It wasn't very hard finding the battleground, seeing that it had become even larger. Dipper cleared his throat and narrowed his eyes, "There! I see the last metal rod!"

It was lying next to the first one they planted down, right where they left it. Dipper picked it up and turned to Fiddleford, "I'll jump up above her and shoot it to the ground next to her."

"I'll find Pacifica and set up a distraction."

They had split up to fulfill their goals. Dipper slid on the ground as he turned the corners, heavily breathing as the weight of the air seemed to increase, as well as the heat. Taking cover behind the blazing booths, he spotted the hovering metal fork. The brunette looked to the metal rod in his hands, contemplating if he should wait for the distraction or to just get it done with.

Pacifica flinched at the sudden touch on her shoulder, only to see McGucket. She questioned, "Where's Dipper?!"

"He's about to send the final rod," The engineer proclaimed, "We need to make a distraction."

"Consider it done," Pacifica bursted from her spot and landed where the couple was, startling them both. She waved her hand, "No hard feelings."

With a rough shove to the two, they landed out in the open. Immediately, a barrage of bolts were fired at the couple, but all of them seemed to be directed at Melody. Pacifica had anticipated this, and protected them with her sword, gracefully and skillfully twirling her sword in front of them.

Dipper noticed that the resonating thunder had stopped, and only loud crackles constantly came one after the other. That must've been their doing.

He launched from his spot behind the booth, into the night sky. It seemed that everyone had recognized him in front of the moonlight, because Giffany stopped as well. Arching his arm back, Dipper prepared to hurl the metal rod. However, Giffany anticipated an attack, so she charged up all of her electrical power into one attack and fired it at Dipper. It was as if an explosion had taken place, it vibrated the ground and some of the objects wobbled and dropped to the ground. An overwhelming light flashed everyone's eyes, one that made their heads ache for a split second.

McGucket yelped and fell to his knees while Melody and Soos tried not to roll away from each other. Pacifica almost lost her balance, but she kept herself steady. She didn't want to take her eyes off of what would happen next, what would happen to Dipper.

But she couldn't see him behind the disorienting brilliance from the lightning bolt. She shielded her eyes, trying to discern at least a figure of the male twin. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized that the light wasn't going farther from the ground, but actually closer now. Giffany's screech blended with the crackling of electricity as the metal rod was thrusted into the ground. The electricity ran through from the metal rod in the direction of the wires of lights until it wasn't visible anymore.

The metal fork plopped from its position in the air, and clattered to the ground.

Dipper landed on the ground, heaving breaths. He didn't appear harmed in any way, a successful smile was apparent on his face. Pacifica couldn't stop herself from smiling back.

Soos, Melody, and McGucket strolled over to the metal fork. There was no screaming, no vociferating voice that dripped with hate and jealousy. It was just an inanimate object. Soos picked it up with one hand, flipping it over for inspection; it was lukewarm.

There was a faint tingle in his fingers that coursed through his arm until it couldn't run any farther. Giffany's weak voice whimpered, "I loved you, and this happened to me. Is love wrong?"

"No," Soos immediately answered. Everyone watched as he clarified, "But it isn't always right. Love is love… I think."

His last part caused a giggle to produce from Melody. There was no response that came after that, just ghastly tranquility. McGucket took the other end of the fork and looked to Dipper, "Will you do the honor?"

He didn't reply. Summoning his sword once again. In the blink of an eye, the metal fork divided in half, sealing her fate.

* * *

It was silent. No booming thunder, no flashing lights, no blinding illumination. There was still smoke rising to the sky, however. Everyone looked towards the fair, expecting the worst or hoping for the best. Mabel tensed up, subconsciously leaning closer to Bill, who noticed but didn't say anything. Unlike everyone else, he wasn't dying from suspense because he already knew who won.

The susurrus of grass and dirt reached their ears. Shadowed figures exited the fair and kept walking until they stepped into the moonlight.

Soos rose the broken metal fork victoriously, "Let Valentine's Day continue!"

A roar of applauding erupted. Everyone cheered and whooped, celebrating the moment.

"After we put the fire out," Melody added as the fire department rushed inside the fair carrying the large hose. Soos put Dipper on his shoulder, "It's thanks to this guy!"

Bill didn't budge an inch, but his eyes did have a twinkle of amusement or of being slightly impressed. Mabel also clapped and hollered while Ford smiled up to his grandnephew, "Good job."

Dipper smiled back as the crowd continued to chatter loudly. They asked how they did it, who they were, and every other question to keep the hype going.

Pacifica crossed her arms as she stood back with McGucket, her tone was earnest, "I'm surprised that you were willing to sacrifice yourself like that."

"It was a bit out of the box, but in a bad way," He rubbed the back of his head, "I was prepared to do anything to stop her, so I thought up of the riskiest one."

McGucket grinned wholeheartedly at the male twin that was receiving multiple to borderline excessive pats on the backs, "If it wasn't for him, I'd probably be dead."

The engineer placed his hands on his hips, "He's quite something, you know? I think he has some potential."

Pacifica didn't respond for a moment, until she said, "I think so too."

An idea popped up in her mind. One that would surely cause a ruckus among her students and astonishment across the town. Her parents would probably hate it the most, but it's not like she wasn't use to all of that. Dipper was quite a good Soul Fighter, and amazingly smart as well. It wasn't a bad idea, just a very unexpected one. The headmistress almost felt giddy for going through with it.

One of the fire department men came out, and took a megaphone from the fair's lead supervisor. He announced, "Except for a certain, large part of the fair, the fair is now available for re-entering!"

Not a few moments later, the lights were brought back to life, it's same radiance piercing the night sky. The swarm of people rushed inside. The groups of people who were working behind booths and minigames went back to work, making sure their money was still intact. The ones who had theirs burnt down decided to go home or roam the rest of the fair.

Dipper watched as his grunkle walked away towards the shack and as McGucket went home after bidding goodbye to the couple. Soos and Melody made sure that they would use this last night together well and unforgettable. The male twin kicked a pebble or two, before walking away himself.

Someone stopped him as he distanced himself enough, "Where are you going?"

Dipper already knew who it was, and turned around to take a glimpse of the fair one last time. Wendy and Robbie, along with the other group of teens were making their way back inside. The brunette shrugged, "Home."

"Why?" Pacifica began walking next to him, making no move to turn him around, "I heard the fair's pretty fun."

"If it's so fun, why don't you go back?" Dipper suggested. The headmistress shook her head, "I'd rather not. Today was busy enough as it is."

"So now you know why I'm going," He told her, and she gave a nod of acknowledgement. The two kept walking with comfortable silence. The day was replaying in their heads to remind them of how terribly unfortunate it was. They both sighed, and said simultaneously, "I hate Valentine's Day."

A beat. Then they looked at each other with disbelief. Dipper snorted, "Uh, what?"

"I hate Valentine's Day," Pacifica repeated, and he inquired, "So do I, but why?"

"A story for a story?" She prompted. Dipper chuckled as they passed by the riverbank now, farther away from the fair, "Alright. In fourth grade, my sister got a ton of Valentine's Day cards and stuff, while I got none. Some kid made me feel like a big loser."

"Bigger than how you already are?" She teased, and he scowled playfully, "Fine then, what about you?"

"Oh, long story short, this kid had enough guts to give me some "peasant chocolate," as my parents had said, and they totally ruined him by dousing him in chocolate," Pacifica snickered, "Next thing you know, everyone avoided me on Valentine's Day."

"Weird, I get all the attention while you're neglected," Dipper remarked, "Two ways that are completely opposite, while they come to the same conclusion."

"Stop being such a nerd," Pacifica mocked. He stuck her tongue out at her, and she did the same. The two paused, before breaking out into giggles, with Pacifica trying to stifle hers. She brushed her hair behind her ear, "You know, that was pretty… intelligent of you today."

"Are you talking about my plan?" Dipper questioned awkwardly, and she nodded. He laughed nervously, "Oh, that was nothing. Just luck."

"Really? That's too bad," Pacifica crossed her arms and stopped, causing Dipper to stop too. She articulated with gaiety, "I was thinking of offering you a job."

He stopped completely, frozen as a statue. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly at his stillness, and she nearly winced as he bursted into a coughing fit. He choked out, "A job?"

"Yes, a job," She eyed him warily, before smiling triumphantly, "I'm proposing you the honor of being my strategist. It pays well, gives you good recognition, and will be effective on your experience."

Dipper breathed, "That's amazing… but why?"

Pacifica looked away, "Nothing personal, just strictly under business."

She turned to him again, her expression was sincerely curious, "Well?"

"Well?" Dipper grinned from ear to ear, "Of course!"

He paused, "I don't have to wear the uniform do I?"

"I suppose not, but you do need something to distinguish yourself," Pacifica glanced at him, "And don't get used to me being like… this."

"I wouldn't have anyways," Dipper gave her a boyish grin, and she stuck her hand out, "Welcome and not welcome to the Gravity Falls Soul Fighters Academy, Dipper Pines."

He took it and shook it firmly, "It is a pleasure and not a pleasure to work with you, Pacifica Northwest."

They parted ways right after with no heavy feelings. Pacifica couldn't tell if she was sick to her stomach or overflowing with merriment that he would be working with her now. She made it back to the mansion without a single sound. But her parents were still waiting in the grand room.

"Good grief, you're a mess!" Her father bellowed. Her mother ran towards the blonde and examined her with pity on her face. Pacifica swatted her hand away from her hair, "It's part of my job, father, mother."

She stood straighter, a smirk on her face, "And I'd also like to inform you that I will have a new colleague."

She emphasized, "Dipper Pines."

"Nonsense!" Preston stomped his foot down, and for a split second, Pacifica felt her resolve waver. But she remained defiant, "It makes all the sense! You haven't seen him like I have!"

"You are making a mistake," Her mother warned, but Pacifica countered, "How would you know?! You don't!"

"Pacifica, that is enough!" Preston yelled, pushing his graying hair back in place. The headmistress could see the bags weighing under his eyes, and the unwanted wrinkles that were forming. He rubbed his face and sighed, "I don't know where we went wrong with you, but I don't want to know now."

Pacifica's face was horrified and pained. As her mother soothingly rubbed his back, Preston pointed upstairs, "Sleep, now. We don't have to talk about this in the morning, we don't have to talk about this ever."

As he went to his own room, her mother turned to her, with melancholy and dread in her eyes, "We just wanted to set your life to the path of success and ease."

They… did? Pacifica watched as her mother now exited the room. Well, how was she supposed to know? They never told her anything except how to step all over people! All she wanted was to prove her worth! Reaching her own bedroom, she slammed the door behind her.

Meanwhile, in the fair, Bill and Mabel stood in front of the open ferris wheel cart. Thrilled, she bounced up and down, "Are you ready to go inside?"

"I'll just be leaving," Bill affirmed, ripping his hand out of Mabel's for what seemed like the millionth time. He turned away as her smile drooped. But suddenly, the two were shoved into the container and the door shut to a close. They sat up with a bewildered expression, and Candy evilly smiled at them through the window, "Have fun!"

As the cart was lifted further and further up, Mabel banged on the window and cried, "JERKS!"

Was this a good thing, or a bad thing? She was stuck with a really hot but dangerous guy who had the emotional range of a teaspoon. Yet, it was more than that, honestly. Mabel knew that he was nice, in his own way. He was more than what people saw him as.

Abruptly, the inside of the cart was brighter. Mabel turned around to find Bill was vividly aflame. His eye was narrowed down and his nose was scrunched so tight, it looked as though it may go higher than his ear. He rose a hand and growled, " **I'll burn this to the ground.** "

Mabel peeped in distraught, "No, don't!"

She unexpectedly gripped onto his hand once again, and he was taken aback, "Let go!"

The female twin didn't let go. Bill waited for her to retract her hand with a shout of pain, or jump back with a new injury for Ford or Dipper to yell at him for. But none came, and he was stumped. Why was it always this girl that astounded him? That always gave him more questions than answers?

She was grabbing his hand through the fire that coated his body. But to her, it felt like thin, warm strands were tickling her flesh. It was hard to say who was more surprised. They both blinked owlishly at each other as the cart made its stop at the top of the ferris wheel. Mabel said slowly, "You can't burn this down, I won't let you."

Her eyes flickered with something he didn't recognize, "I wouldn't let anything ruin tonight. Not Giffany, not Dipper, not Grunkle Ford."

Bill's fire died down, leaving the cart to be dark, only lightened up by the gleam outside. He could barely see her now, but her voice was clear.

"Not even you."

He wouldn't dare describe himself as speechless. But she didn't give him the chance to say anything at all, pulling him to the edge of the cart and looking out as if nothing happened. Bill looked down at the brunette. She was a skittish, odd little thing. Nothing like he's ever seen before, ever met before. It gave him a warm feeling that resided in his chest, one that he couldn't recognize. It was like something was disappearing while another was being revealed.

How confusing. Everything was so confusing with her. It was so, so irritating.

And also, very interesting. He was too intrigued to let her slip by. How could he let her slip by?

A sharp gasp came from her, "Look! A shooting star!"

Bill broke from his stupor to look up. A stream of light vanished as quickly as it came. It was… fitting, to say the least, in this strange situation. He thought that he had already gone crazy, and now he was going even crazier, or maybe he was just too sane. Because this time, their fingers were interlocked quite nicely.

Too nicely, he grimaced. Mabel brought something into his life that he didn't know he needed. It didn't feel very bad, actually. It felt pretty… good…?

With all the peace that he was used to destroying, it was weird having it stick around for once.

But only just this once.

Right?

* * *

 **Aaaaaaaand done? Done!**

 **As things are done, more things are to become done! I feel as though I foreshadowed the next chapter quite enough. But this entire chapter took quite a lot of effort to complete, if I do say so myself.**

 **I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless!**

 **Bye bye!**


	26. Chapter 26

**DerangedTrash(Guest): Helloooo! Glad to have you onboard, thank you!**

 **ssnnooooppyy(Guest): Thank you! I happen to be a she but I'm fine with dude and man and all that if you can tell. There are some art on my tumblr that is only reblogs, not my actual artwork! I can only wish to be as good as them someday! ;-;**

 **Domination(Guest): AAAAAH POSITIVITY IT'S ATTACKING ME! And I have yet to see a promo, I'm pretty scared too, honestly. Gravity Falls is ending and my heart is breaking and I don't know if I can bring myself to watch it.**

 **This isn't much of a filler. In fact, all the little side stories and such are fully canon to my fanfic and do add to the character development and such.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

"Where are you going?" Dipper questioned as he checked himself in the body mirror. A circular golden trimmed badge was pinned over the left side of his vest. It wasn't much, really. Just some fancy and complicated pattern of gold lines in the middle of a white background. "GFSFA" stood out in bold, black letters in the center. It wasn't very big either, and it was pretty light so it didn't drag him down or distract him.

"I have an impromptu appointment with the mermaids, my dear bro-bro," Mabel disclosed as she spun around in her skirt. Good, it twirled nicely. She lifted up two hangers with sweaters hanging on them, previewing them both on her body. He turned to her with a worried look, "Grunkle Ford told me once that mermaids weren't all that that… whimsical."

"They are! And I'll have someone with me."

"What? Who?"

"Who else?" She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Bill."

"Of course it's him," Dipper groaned. Maybe before a lot of things happened, he would have forbidden her to go anywhere near the dream-demon. But after seeing that he has yet to do any harm to her, and she apparently cannot be harmed from his flames, as Mabel told him, Dipper was regretful to say he slightly—only slightly—trusted him. Although, it was more like he was forced to if he wanted Mabel to be happy.

She tossed one sweater away and tugged the other one over her head, fitting her arms through the sleeves and yanking it down her torso. Mabel stuck her arms out and twisted her body side to side, "Does this look nice?"

Dipper glanced at her, "You look exactly the same, Mabel."

"So is that a yes or a no?"

Dipper huffed while Mabel smiled, "I'll take that as a yes!"

She plopped on the bed, putting her feet in long, white socks, "So, you have a job now?"

"Yep," Dipper tucked his hat onto his head securely, "I'm not entirely sure what I have to do, but I'm sure I'll be fine."

Mabel stood up and walked beside him. They both faced the mirror, examining themselves and each other with nostalgic smiles on their faces. Their eyes were filled with indistinct bittersweetness. She chuckled, "I wonder what our parents would say?"

"Parent stuff, probably," Dipper guessed playfully to lighten the mood. She squinted her eyes and leaned into the mirror, pulling her brother's head down with her. He gave her a quizzical look, "What're you doing?"

"Don't you see that?!" Her jaw dropped, "You have one strand of chest hair!"

He jumped back and looked down, stretching his shirt outwards. There really was only one strand of hair sticking out from his chest. Dipper cheered and pumped his fist, "YES!"

Suddenly, there was a snip, and Mabel was holding it between her fingers with a smile. His own jaw dropped, a ghastly noise escaped his lips. He fell to his knees, holding himself up with his hands, and croaked out, "Why?"

"For memories! You're bound to grow more, anyways," Mabel said blithely as she pulled out a pink, hard cover journal from under her bed. It was labeled "Mabel's Scrapbook of Memories."

She opened it up and taped down the chest hair on one page, writing at the top in black sharpie. Looking over her work, her face brightened and she showed her dejected brother, "There!"

Dipper looked up from the floor to see his first ever chest hair was helplessly taped to a white page decorated with black hearts, mustaches, and words. He furrowed his eyebrows, "What is that?"

"A scrapbook!" She flipped through only a few pages, ones that already had pictures of her friends, grunkles, and Dipper. Mabel held up a tiny camera in hand, "I wanna fill it up as we grow up, for sentimental value."

"Won't you just lose interest?" He asked, getting off the floor and dusting his knees of splinters. She shrugged, "I'll try my best."

Mabel opened to the first page and showed her brother, whose face slightly fell in recognition. She spoke softly, "Do you remember when we took this picture?"

"How could I not?" He declared as he went to sit next to her. They both gazed longingly at the family photo. Their parents, alive and well, had their kids on their shoulders, who were laughing joyfully as anyone could tell from the picture. The background was glimmering gorgeously with its dazzling sunlight and breathtaking greenery.

It was the last picture they had taken before the attack had occurred.

Abruptly, she shut the book, and hopped off the bed. Tucking it back underneath the bed, she rose giddily, "Time to fill it with some more pictures, how about one with your new badge thing?"

"If you want," Dipper also planted his feet onto the floor. Hanging her arm around her brother, she held the camera in the other hand and they both smiled. An audible snap of the photo being taken was heard, and they broke from their pose. She grinned as she checked the image, "I can't wait to get a pic with Bill!"

"If he ends up ripping you apart and taking your soul, I'll try not to say I told you so," The male twin proclaimed. She shook her head, "We both know you would anyways, Dippingsauce."

"Just giving you a heads up."

"Glad you see things my way," She patted his cheek affectionately, and he gave her a blank stare, "I wish you weren't so good at persuasion."

"Love you too!" Mabel called out, and she made her way down the stairs. Grunkle Stan lowered his newspaper, "So where are you going?"

"On an adventure!" Mabel beamed. Stan squinted his eyes suspiciously, "Does it cost any money?"

"Nope!"

"Then go crazy," Stan raised his newspaper again to bury his nose in. Mabel turned around to comply, but was instantly greeted with the monumental older man she called her Grunkle Ford. He pulled out a small backpack, one that she recognized from the second day she moved to the Mystery Shack.

Mabel eyed him skeptically, but not seriously. Stan peered from over his newspaper, "That better not weigh her down, Poindexter."

"It won't, Stanley," Ford waved him off.

Mabel set the bag down on the floor and kneeled in front of it. She took out a moldy, leather book from the bag, and saw the cover with the golden six-fingered hand and a two on it. She looked up at him, "One of your journals?"

"That's the one where the information on mermaids are," He explained, "I also packed a small UV light, a few potions of healing, and a map in case you get abandoned."

Mabel giggled at his protectiveness and snorted, "Bill won't abandon me, I'm sure."

"If he knows what's good for him, he won't," Stan stated firmly.

Ford crossed his arms, unconvinced at her belief, before pointing down at the bag, "Stanley also packed some mini sandwiches in case you get hungry."

She lifted one up and said cheerily, "Ooh, peanut butter and jelly! Thanks Grunkle Stan!"

"No problem, sweetie."

She inspected it through the plastic and frowned, "Crust?"

"I didn't say that wasn't a problem," Stan remarked without looking up. Mabel pursed all of her items into the bag, and spotted something peculiar and shiny. She held it up into the light with a questioning stare, "What is this?"

Ford also looked puzzled, but Stan raced from his chair to snatch the object out of her hand. He caressed it gently, "So that's where you were."

"And what is that exactly?" Ford shot him an accusing glare. Stan laughed nervously, "Oh, just something I got as a… souvenir from the museum in New York… from the ancient gold of Egypt."

Ford face palmed while Mabel's eyes twinkled with wonder, "How did you do that?"

"Yes, do tell," The scientist said crossly. Stan rolled his eyes at him and bent down to Mabel's stature, "With the classic slip of the finger."

He held the golden artifact between his fingers, right in front of her eyes. With the flick of his fingers, it was gone. She shot her hands to her mouth, "Whoa!"

Stan grinned, "Well, you have to have long sleeves and nimble fingers—"

"You will not teach our grandniece how to steal!" Ford interrupted. Mabel and Stan pouted, but she sobered up quickly. The female twin hugged her grunkles hastily, whispering in their ears, "Thanks."

The great uncles gave wholehearted smiles at her. Stan made his way back to the table, bringing the newspaper up to his face. Ford stayed where he was and watched as she pushed her arms through the straps of the backpack and tightened them. Mabel let out a yelp of remembrance and hurriedly took out her camera. Standing at the doorway, she faced her grunkles and took a swift candid picture. She sang, "For memories!"

Mabel stuffed her camera into the backpack. Dipper made his way down the stairs, his own backpack hung over his shoulder. Grunkle Ford ruffled his hat, much to the young boy's dismay. The older man put his hands on his hips with a proud smirk, "Well, look at you! All set for work at just the age of thirteen!"

"I just have a badge," Dipper muttered, fixing his hat back into place.

"Give them all you got, kid, and don't let anything take you down," Stan asserted loudly, actually setting down his newspaper to look his grandnephew in the eye. With a confident curl of his lip, Dipper nodded in agreement, "I'll be home somewhere around three or four."

"And I don't know when I'll be back!" Mabel informed them casually. Stan gave a thumbs up while Ford nodded. Dipper frowned at her, before exhaling deeply, "Have fun."

The twins hugged each other, then stepped off the porch, leaving the shack. They strode off to seperate directions through the forest.

The grunkles watched as they exited the proximity. She would go off to treacherous lands and waters with an even more hazardous being. He would be experiencing his first legitimate act of responsibility. Ford felt a tear brim his eye, "They grow up so fast."

"I'd say they're about the same," Stan went back to his newspaper, "still naive and childish, but that might just be Mabel's personality."

"Oh, shut it Stanley, I was having a moment."

"Consider it ruined," With a final look over the newspaper, he grinned mischievously at his twin. But Ford only shook his head, heading to his laboratory.

Not a long while later, Dipper reached the edge off the town, and stepped inside. He made his way past the familiar yet unnamed citizens that were going through their daily, ordinary lives. Some of them caught a glimpse of the badge on his chest, and held wary stares. The main question ran through their minds: who was he?

Arriving at the academy, Dipper looked up to the building he once scorned. Lowering his gaze, Pacifica was glaring at him. Ah yes, this was the girl he also once sneered at most of the time. Now it was only a few times.

"You're almost late, and on your first day, too?" She reprimanded, before turning around and opening the doors, "Just follow me."

He caught up with her fast pace and rose his brows, "Good morning to you too. You should ease up a bit, don't you think?"

Her icy scowl shut him up from saying anything else. She looked forward, not giving him a second glance. Dipper narrowed his eyes at her, unintentionally noticing that they were about the same height, with him only ahead by a centimeter or two. But anyways, what was her deal?

He tore his eyes off of her to observe where they were heading. The inside of the school was just as grand as the outside, as always. The halls had squeaky clean windows that allowed sunlight to shine through. The tiles were pristine, and the paint on the walls had no chips. Students, younger and older than him, were gawking at the pair. There were murmurs in the air, and the students weren't very good at being discreet as they whispered to each other. He recognized some of the teens from the Valentine's Day fair, but Wendy and Robbie weren't there.

She stopped abruptly, fists clenched. The headmistress whirled her head around with a commanding voice, "What are you all doing standing around?! Get to class!"

With a few surprised shouts here and there, the halls rapidly became vacant. Dipper and Pacifica resumed their path throughout the school. He was genuinely confused as to how a few days ago she was smiling and talking to him freely, and now it was like a switch had flipped. Perhaps that was just her, when surrounded by other people, she always had to be like this. But why?

The two stopped in front of double doors, ones that were a bit more sophisticated than the other singular doors they passed by. Opening them, she walked inside with him following behind, closing the doors as he entered. His eyes widened at the view she had of the outside. There were no walls behind her desk, but long and wide windows that circulated around. As she went behind the desk, he tentatively looked closer at some items she had on the shelves.

"Dipper," Pacifica called, breaking him out of his trance, "over here. Don't touch anything."

"I wasn't, I wasn't," He mumbled, going over to the front of the desk, "Is this your office?"

"How perceptive," She droned, before handing him a very thick file full of papers, "Here, this is the details of every resident in the town. You are to know at least all of them by name."

He spluttered, "W-What?"

Dipper took the file, weighing it with one hand and grimaced. Suddenly, she tossed a chain of keys at him, and he had to juggle it with the other hand before it settled in his grasp. As he slightly glowered at her, she instructed, "Your office isn't far from mine, that is where you will set your work and belongings down. At ten, come to my office again. Now go."

She shooed him away uncaringly, and he refrained from showing any rude gestures. Making his way out her office, he repositioned his grip on the file and headed to his own office.

Dipper unlocked and opened the door hesitantly, but was taken aback to find the room was clean. Untouched, even. Not a speck of dust floated around or laid harmlessly. He shut the door with his foot and set down the file and keys onto the wooden desk. The male twin cracked a small smile at his own neat view. His walls weren't replaced by windows, but the windows were still quite large. It was refreshing to have the daylight able to fill the cramped room. Although, the room wasn't all that tiny, just visibly a bit smaller than Pacifica's.

He sat down on the black swivel chair that had been tucked under the desk. Making sure no one was around, he began to gyrate in the chair, laughing quietly. He let out soft whoops as he used his foot to boost his speed.

"Ahem."

"AH!" Dipper stomped his foot down, halting the motion. His mind was dizzy and his vision was tilting, but he could plainly see an older man standing in front of his desk with a slightly bewildered and concerned look. The brunette cleared his throat and intertwined his fingers on the desk, trying to seem professional, "I recognize you."

"Indeed," The older man replied, "we haven't formally met. I'm Fiddleford McGucket, Soos' mentor."

"Oh!" The brunette straightened his posture, "I'm Dipper Pines. How is Soos?"

"He's swell, every break I catch him on video chat with his girlfriend," McGucket seemed relaxed, "I'm surprised the headmistress decided on a personal strategist since she is more of the solo type. How are you liking the job so far?"

"Well, I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to be strategizing. But she did want me to know all the names of the citizens in Gravity Falls," He shrugged with a sheepish smile. McGucket arched an eyebrow, "All of them, huh?"

"Yep," Dipper loosened his shoulders, "do you know why?"

"Probably so when you think up of plans, you can consider everyone's safety and such. Next, she might have you memorize the entire town."

"Aw, man," Dipper threw his head back in exasperation. McGucket suggested, "Just try to remember the face with the name, and some unique fact about them. That might help."

"I guess," The young boy tapped the desk, before inquiring, "On an unrelated note, do you know why Pacifica is so… phlegmatic around people?"

"Not really, honestly. It's something that your great uncle and I got used to a while ago."

Dipper frowned while the engineer turned on his heel. Before leaving, he spoke, "I'll let you get to work before she has your head."

"That's appreciated!" The male twin shouted as the door closed. The room was quiet once again, and Dipper realized he'd have to get a clock to put up. Laying the file wide open on the desk, the papers had spread out for him to see. Pictures were in the corner, names were at the top, and details followed after.

With his mind set and not discouraged, he picked up a few, skimming through them while muttering, "Shandra Jimenez, Toby Determined, Tad Strange, Manly Dan Corduroy, Tyler Cutebiker…"

* * *

Mabel skipped through the forest, arms swinging at her side, her smile beating the scintillating sun. The birds tweeted their morning song and the animals pranced along with her. Her hair quivered behind her supple, petite figure.

Suddenly, something clutched her hair, roughly bringing her backwards. All of the animals fled. She yelped in pain and whipped her head around to see her offender. Bill floated as he held her hair in his hand, looking down on her, "Are you prepared to see the truth?"

"I'm prepared to see beauty!" She avowed, and he scoffed, "You're already looking at him."

"Not you!" She puffed her cheeks, hoping that it wasn't red. The tweeting of the birds didn't stop, much to his chagrin. He shot a flare towards one of the birds on the branches, and it instantly dropped onto the grassy ground.

Mabel ran over to the fallen, deceased bird, and cried out, "Look what you did!"

She went back in front of him with teary eyes, holding up the burnt black bird. He smacked it out of her hands, and it flew elsewhere, "Whatever, let's get going."

Her face was appalled by his awful response, but he seemed unfazed, "Do you not want to see the mermaids?"

"I do!" She insisted, "But you just—and that bird—and then you slapped it—"

Mabel calmed down and sighed. There was no use arguing, she supposed, because Bill was just like that, and he didn't seem set on changing anytime soon. She shook her head profusely, they were off to see mermaids! Not debate about the unfair deaths of birds!

"After you!" She grinned, taking his hand into hers before he could react. Bill heaved an irritated sigh, "Again with this?"

"Just get going!"

He harshly shook his hand up and down, but she didn't let go, only tightly keeping her grip. He tried setting his hand aflame again, but to no avail. Reluctantly giving up, the dream-demon began to walk in a certain direction.

"Oh, wait!" Mabel took the camera out of her bag and tugged him close to her, "Say cheese!"

They both faced the camera, with him not knowing what for, "Cheese? What?"

The photo was taken, and she looked at it joyfully. Her first picture with Bill was awesome because it had a gorgeous background! She put it back in her bag, "Okay, now we go."

"Weirdo," He said under his breath.

They journeyed through the forests together in pleasant silence. Mabel watched in fascination of the woods they passed by as they slowly became less and less familiar, but still just as magnificent as the rest of the gigantic forest. The pine trees created patches of sunlight on the ground. The woodland creatures didn't dare to come out and stroll next to them, however. They scampered under the protection of the forests and their beady eyes observed them innocently.

"We're here," Bill deadpanned as she turned her gaze forward.

Mabel gaped at the view. It was beautiful! Green grass and even greener, taller trees that rooted into the grassy ground added to its serenity. A blue, cloudless sky, a light breeze, and vibrant flowers were clustered here and there. The landscape surrounded a vast, limpid lake that shimmered crystals. Yet, she could see that the water was extremely deep, and the depth was breathtakingly dark.

Her grip fastened in excitement, "How amazing!"

Bill glared down at her delicate figure, "It's an eyesore."

He rose his other hand, fire blazing, itching to cause destruction. She gasped and took his other hand in her grasp, "No! Bad!"

She had stopped him once again from burning stuff down, how rude! Burning stuff was fun, and it's what he usually does! Bill snarled, ripping his other hand out of her grip, "I am bad! And only one hand!"

He paused, before yelling again, "You aren't even supposed to be holding my hand!"

Bill set his hand aflame again, burning it a bright blue and yellow.

"Burn, you accursed hand!" He hissed at her iron grip. She still didn't seem the least bit harmed when touching his flames, much to his confusion, irritation, and teeny bit of relief.

"This place is amazing," Mabel's eyes sparkled as she released him and roamed the vicinity. Bill grumbled, the flame dying out, "I'll go find a boat."

"Why?" Mabel inquired curiously as she sat on her knees on the grass at the edge of the lake. He tried not to notice how well she blended in with the scenery, and huffed, "I'm not gonna carry you across the lake. Plus, I really want you to have a _nice_ experience."

His last sentence was filled more with snide than sincerity. But she only smiled back at him, humming an unfamiliar tune. Gently plucking a flower and sticking it behind her ear, she grinned at him, "How do I look?"

"Disgusting," Bill spat, "You just stuck a murdered organism behind your hearing organ."

"I'm glad you think I'm pretty," She covered her mouth with her hand and looked away, mocking a flustered gesture. He only rolled his eye and floated away as she continued humming. Detecting that he was gone, a few small animals skittered to where she sat, sniffing her hand with twitching noses and whiskers. They nibbled her hand and she giggled, "That tickles."

Mabel affectionately stroked the top of one of their heads, and they purred in response, snuggling deeper into her petting. She perked up when a faint splash was heard. Looking into the distance, there were ripples disturbing the water. The brunette leaned in with uncertainty, but she was very inquisitive about what may be causing the ripples in the lake. Could it be...?

Unexpectedly, the little animals gave alarmed squeaks and scurried away from her. There was a sudden movement in the water, and she caught the sight of a distorted, shadowy figure in the depths of the water. Bill floated next to her, lugging behind him a shabby, wooden boat with oars inside. Mabel looked up and scrunched her nose, "What is that?"

"Our ride!" He gave a conceited, lopsided grin while patting the boat. It gave an unsettled creak, and she questioned, "Is that safe?"

"Does it matter?" Bill answered while pushing the boat onto the water. He stepped inside, jumping on it a few times. Mabel cringed at the loud grates and the steadily increasing chance of the boat breaking. It didn't crack into pieces, however. He threw his hands up, "See? Perfectly safe!"

Sticking a hand out for her to take, he smirked teasingly, "Well?"

Mustering up her courage, she placed her bag down, before taking his hand and going inside the unstable, wooden contraption. Mermaids are nice, she wouldn't need the journal! But then she squeaked, "My camera!"

The boat rasped under her abrupt shifting of weight, and dangerously rocked side to side. In fright, she clasped his hand stiffly, squeezing her eyes shut. He only looked uninterested as he took an oar and rowed them away from the edge of the lake. Within a few minutes, they arrived in the center of the pellucid water.

"Open your eyes, you sissy meatsack."

Despite his insult, she unwillingly did so. Her eyes fluttered open to see that they had stationed themselves in the middle. She sat down on the seats, forcing Bill to also sit. Mabel slackened her tense muscles to examine the waters. She regained her conviction, "So, where are they?"

"They should be here any minute."

Any minute, huh? Mabel waited for anything to happen, but it was a bit hard when the time was slipping by like molasses, and that Bill was staring at her sternly. She felt a bullet of sweat run down her temple, but refused to say anything.

The blonde didn't say anything either. He was just staring with an indistinguishable look in his eye. His face wasn't upset, annoyed, or melancholic, it was vaguely thoughtful, and a bit conflicted, like he was contemplating. But what did he have to contemplate? Didn't he always boast about his knowledge of everyone and everything?

Mabel could feel her face gradually becoming hotter. Would it be too obvious that she was getting uncomfortable? If she looked away, that wouldn't mean anything rude, right? But why was he staring at her? Was something on her face? Or was he stunned by her prettiness?

Her friends' words echoed in her ears about the potential romance between them. However, there wasn't any, there shouldn't be any! He doesn't even like humans! And she…

She…

Oh, she was hopeless. Her face was probably on fire at this realization. Mabel inhaled sharply, ready to snap.

"Shooting Star," Bill sounded restrained, and oddly enough, in pain, "mind loosening your grip before I break you hand off?"

"Right! Right right right!" She actually released him like he had the plague, and he cocked an eyebrow. Attempting to lean back without being too evident, she looked away, "So where are the—AH!"

Shocked, she jumped out of her seat and next to Bill, momentarily forgetting her awkwardness.

There was a mermaid hanging on the boat, nonchalantly laying their head on their crossed arms. But it was no usual mermaid, and it wasn't even a mermaid, from the looks of it.

It was a merman.

He was charmingly attractive, and his voice was melodious to her ears, along with his accent, "Hello there."

The immense apprehension she felt disappeared in an instant, and was replaced by a numb liking to the merman. He was so alluring, for some reason. She felt like her heart just wanted to free itself from her chest and live with him forever! Mabel said breathlessly, "Hi… I'm no organ donor, but I'd be happy to give you my heart…"

He slightly furrowed his eyebrows, "What's an organ donor?"

Bill looked over to see that her pupils were practically replaced with palpitating hearts. His eye twitched. She was being bewitched by the mermaid's magical appeal. The female twin made a move to get up and go closer to the merman, but Bill gripped her hand this time, pulling her down and holding her in place. She whined, but he ignored her, only scowling at the merman, "What are you doing here, Mermando? Where's the actual mermaids?"

"Mermando…" Mabel mumbled.

"I told them not to come," Said merman kept gazing at the young girl, "because I was intrigued by her."

He swam closer, but Bill sent a warning glare his way, stopping him. Mermando held in his fear of the dream-demon, and spoke bravely, "Her soul is so… bright, blindingly so. I couldn't resist getting closer."

"You should've," Bill bared his teeth. Mermando jested nervously, "You know how we are with shiny things."

"She's isn't much of a shiny object per se, more like a naive meatsack," The blonde hissed. Mabel shyly combed her hair, "I don't mind. My name is Mabel."

"Mabel, you are stunning," Mermando complimented, and she blushed, "Is it the flower?"

The dream-demon snapped his fingers, and the flower burned to ash in a split second. He wanted to groan in frustration at her spellbound attitude. Mermando tempted, "I can take you underwater with me, and you'll see how beautiful my world is! You could live with me."

"Live with… you?" Mabel restated unconfidently. She briefly remembered all of her family and friends back home, expecting her to return safely. But one more look into his dark brown eyes sent her mind into an endless void of blurry captivation. Bill piped up sarcastically, "Yeah, go see what he has to offer. I'm sure it'll be great."

"Okay…" Mabel's hand slipped from his own, and he let her. She walked over to where the merman was and kneeled over. Mermando smiled hypnotically, before spitting out latin chants. Before she knew what was going on, she was being pulled under the surface.

His world was beautiful, as beautiful as the world above was. It was so enthralling and soothing to her senses, there were varieties of colored fishes and plants. She barely realized that she could breathe. Mabel looked around, finding that there were other mermaids staring at the pair as they were swimming towards the unperturbed sands at the bottom of the lake. Mermando soothed, "They will not harm you since I am the prince."

"How long will I be able to stay here?"

"The spell is temporary, but long enough to have your mind made."

He decided to stay where light could reach them. The other mermaids kept their distance, scrutinizing her as she walked with their prince. She only gazed back as he gently pulled her along. These creatures were spectacular and very good looking! She never thought that she would actually see a mermaid up close, but now she was even holding one! The scales on their tales glistened wonderfully, and were also quite bigger than she expected. Mabel joked, "That's enough meat to feed a family!"

Some of the mermaids were revolted while others were aggrieved. They looked ready to take her out, and not in a good way. Mermando laughed with distress, "This way, my flower."

Mabel took in everything she saw, absorbed by this seemingly new terrain of existence that probably no one else would ever lay eyes on. The fishes were also drawn to her, flitting against her cheeks and swimming in and out of her hair. She laughed, feeling ticklish again, and he remarked, "Your laugh is music to my ears."

"Your voice is to mine," She boldly stated, before covering her mouth. Why did she just say that?

"No need for timidness," He paused in front of her to peel her hand off her mouth, "in this world, everyone will treat you royally, and we will feast as nobles!"

"What are y-you saying?" She wanted to know the truth, but was also terrified of it. He only gave a heartwarming smile, "Stay here with me."

She subconsciously pulled her hand out of his grip, her mind flickering in and out of her actual consciousness. She held her throbbing head, "I… but m-my family… and my f-friends."

"I'm sure they'd want you to be happy, and you'd be happy here."

She looked up and was riveted by him. But then, she winced, "W-What about… Bill?"

"What about him?" Mermando slightly frowned. Mabel shook her head, trying to clear up her focus, "He'd be a-alone."

He snickered, "He's always been alone, Mabel."

"Well, n-not anymore!" Mabel shrieked, fully disliking that she couldn't seem to feel anything but blind endearment, "I'm his first friend! A-And losing friends hurt!"

"Friends with him? That's delusional!" Mermando declared, and she only shouted, clutching her shoulders, "The only illusion here is my feelings for you! I-I don't actually like you!"

The prince was increasingly becoming infuriated that she was breaking out of the charm. The surrounding mermaids were prepared to pounce. He demanded, "How would you know?"

"Because I know what the real thing feels like!" She cried, her attention was now in her control, "Now let me go back!"

"Let her go back?!" A random mermaid yelled incredulously, "Her soul is phenomenal! Her blood must be delicious!"

"I want some of that!"

"She probably has extraordinary properties!"

"We'll gain powers!"

"Let us feast!"

"Let us feast!"

Horrified, Mabel looked around at the mermaids surrounding her with ravenous stares. Bill was right. They actually did want to eat her and her blood, and apparently because of her soul. Was Bill the real demon, or them?

Or did Bill also stick around just because of her soul?

"Let us feast," Mermando whispered, gazing at her hungrily. She fell to the sand, trying to grasp onto it, but it only sifted through her fingers. Suddenly, she couldn't breathe in the water anymore. It filled her lungs and made her retch. She closed her mouth, already becoming lightheaded from the lack of oxygen. The mermaids drew closer to her vulnerable form.

Mabel tensed her shoulders and shut her eyes, awaiting an attack, but none came. Her hands felt as though it was scratching a hard, flat surface. She opened her eyes to find her reflection. The female twin was astounded that she was sitting on glass and that she was engulfed with flames. A pillar of fire protected her from the starving mermaids. It caused the water to evaporate in an instant and for the sand to solidify into glass.

Yet, it didn't harm her one bit.

Bill grabbed her and carried her out from under the surface, before unceremoniously dropping her on the land. The fire disappeared immediately, and he fell to his back. The dream-demon panted heavily after exerting that much power. Mabel was on her knees, coughing out water and gasping for air.

He looked to her with a glower, "Do you believe me now?"

To his astonishment, she embraced him tautly after recovering from her near-death experience, and he found it harder to breathe. Even though he had only associated breathing as something he could live without but couldn't stop, he was astounded that his mind screamed at him to keep breathing, or else he would actually die. Or would he have the sensation of dying, perhaps?

Her face contorted with relief, "Yes."

He didn't even have enough energy to push her off, and laid there staring at the sky. The mermaids wouldn't try to attack them, luckily. Especially not after the performance he showed. Mabel wasn't soaked, but she was damp, and her hair dripped with water as she laid her head sideways on his chest. After a moment of silence, she spoke up, "Do you stay around me because of my soul?"

"As if I'd stoop so low for such a goal," He informed her without skipping a beat, "I do what I want."

He couldn't see her face, but she was smiling again, as bright as ever. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that he wasn't telling the truth, and she liked this truth. He didn't have some ultimate plan to eat her or rip her to shreds, as much as it baffled her. Sure, she was dubious to her speculation why he hadn't killed her long ago, and was clueless as to why her soul was so unique and enticing, but she wasn't concerned with it at the moment.

His breaths changed from heavy to soft, and she was the same, easing her hug. Nonetheless, they continued to lie there in peaceful silence. Bill was disinclined to think that the warmth they shared right now was hotter than any fire that he had ever produced or felt in his sentient states of his life.

Although, he had no idea why.

But the moment was good, so both chose not to ruin it.

* * *

 **This is actually a very significant chapter, if you can see why. There's a few points I tried to put out there for the main plot of the story.**

 **Oh poor Mabel, all your little men that are interested in you don't seem to be all that appealing, huh? Good thing your heart is now set.**

 **It's also important that Dipper does know all those stuff. Stay strong, Dipper! Don't let your effort waver!**

 **Anyways, until next time!**


	27. Chapter 27

**HEYO!**

 **Mrs. Qwertyuiop(Guest): Welcome! Thank you; I try, I try ;-; sometimes I think my fingers get cavities from the sweetness I type.**

 **Eve(Guest): Hello hello hello there! Thank you and welcome aboard!**

 **KittyCat151: A Q &A? Ah, well, if anyone would like to ask me anything, they may PM me or ask me on the reviews!**

 **Domination(Guest): *munches on cookie blithely***

 **Amethyst imagination: Oh, thank you and hello there!**

 **I just have this terribly impossible headcanon where Bill would be turned into a human as his ultimate defeat because hey he hates humans so what's better than killing him in a kids show… I guess… even though other characters have died…**

 **Or maybe an inanimate object of some sort, hm? I don't know! I just aaaaaaaaaaah!**

 **(restrained whisper-screaming as crumbs fly out my mouth)**

 **ANYWAYS.**

 **Thank you everyone. Shall we read on with the story?**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

Dipper lazily rolled the pen up and down his desk. Memorizing everyone had been going well, until his brain started to get tired. So much information to soak in, and even more effort to connect them with certain ideas to remember it better. Was this all that he had to do for this job? Memorize people and more people, and then, even better, buildings and roads! How exciting.

He spun around in his chair again, wondering what the time was. He'd have to report back to Pacifica's office soon. Oh geez, what time was it, actually? She'd probably be angry if he was late. Better to arrive early.

Dipper peered out of the doorway of his office, checking both directions of the halls. It was still empty of students. Shutting the door and locking it, he strolled back to where her office was. He knocked twice, waited, and then heard a voice through the door, "Enter."

He did so and found Pacifica focusing on her own paperwork. Dipper cleared his throat, "It's ten… I think."

She glanced upwards at the clock, "So it is."

The blonde leaned back in her chair and stretched. Standing up, she took a pen and paper and handed it to Dipper. He looked at them skeptically, but she just gestured for him to follow after her. They stepped on the teleportation pad that was in the corner of her office, and the brunette briskly wondered how he hadn't really noticed that earlier when entering the first time. He inquired, "Uh, what is this?"

"Just watch."

Soon, the white light engulfed them both, and tingling ran through their skin. In no time, they arrived somewhere entirely different. It was sunny, but it wasn't hot. There was dense forests surrounding the vicinity. Dipper shuddered briefly, and Pacifica snorted, "You'll get used to the teleportation pad."

"So that's what this is?" He tapped it with his foot, "What would happen if someone was teleporting and then one of the platforms are destroyed?"

"Who knows?" Pacifica shrugged. She began to walk towards the grand building that stood upon them. He followed her dutifully while gazing around. There were mostly men, both older and younger, and he didn't really spot a female. They all came from the line of teleportation pads and strode towards the ornate double doors.

"What is this place, and where is it located?" Dipper quietly asked as he caught up next to her. They entered the building. Intricate designs decorated the walls and wide windows provided scenery of the blue sky and the greenery. Pacifica didn't look his way, but responded, "This is the Soul Academy Headquarters. Headmasters meet here every month. No one knows where it is, and no one tries to find out."

Arriving at another set of double doors, they went inside, careful not to attract any attention. She sat at her usual elegant seat at the long, rounded table, and Dipper unconfidently stood beside her. The blonde took a glimpse at him, "Just sit there, it's always empty for the strategist."

He sat in the more insignificant-looking chair on her right. Setting down the paper and pen, Dipper sat straight in his chair while Pacifica crossed her legs. He surveyed the room, it was void of mold or dust, and it possessed a great importance. Wide screens with blinking dots or a radar on the map of the globe was apparent at the head of the table. Other headmasters sat in their chairs, patiently waiting for the meeting to start. They also had other persons that sat beside them. They were skimming through papers and jotting down something.

Dipper slightly grimaced as he had no clue what he was supposed to be doing. Everyone else seemed to be on track. If anyone asked, he'd just claim to be completely new at this.

The male twin also regarded how everyone in the room was visibly older than the two, either by a few or many, many years. All the headmasters were men so far, and he'd see several females in the strategist chair. Some of the people in the room actually peeked at him and Pacifica once or twice from what he had perceived. Low conversations were audible, but not understandable.

More and more people entered the large room and took their seats, until the table almost didn't have any more seats available. No one else came in afterwards. They all stared at the pair of doors on the other side of the room, as if awaiting something, or someone.

The doors opened, and out walked Bud with his two officers, Durland and Blubs. Dipper's eyes widened in recognition as they sat at the head of the table.

"Mornin', everyone," Bud tipped his hat at the brunette, "I see someone new has joined us."

"Oh, uh, hi," Dipper shrunk as the majority of the room turned their focus to him. Pacifica stifled the urge to slap her face at his embarrassment. The CEO waved his hand to draw their attention back, "Ya' joined just in time. I'd like ta' bring up something very important for this meeting."

The two officers stood up and started to work the screens. Bud did the same, and began to inform the anticipating guests, "As ya' can see here, the rate of dark beings is steadily increasing, and with no known evidence as ta' why."

He continued, "But with recent information, we may know now."

A couple of murmurs arose, but he kept going as he pointed at a certain location on the map, "Gravity Falls is where it happens most, and we take it more as intention than coincidence. Something may be causing it. Someone may be trying to open up a portal there. Or it may be both."

He elaborated, "The Nightmare Realm is said ta' be the dimension where the evil beings reign. There is also said ta' be an unknown overlord."

His tone became questioning, "Who? We don't know yet. Why would anyone try ta' connect the Earth realm with the Nightmare Realm? Unanswered. Why in Gravity Falls? Also yet ta' be discovered. As ya' can reckon, we are barely revealing the bigger part of this mystery, but I have a feeling we may not like how it turns out. All in all, your guess is as good as mine."

More worried glances were thrown around and the volume of the room rose. Strategists were hurriedly writing down notes as the headmasters instructed them to, and Dipper did the same without needing Pacifica to tell him what to write. Bud didn't seem the least bit flustered, "No need ta' fret."

"May I object, sir," A random person had interrupted, "We have little to no information about this, I think worrying will give us some sense of urgency."

"I agree, we can't let ourselves think this is okay."

"It isn't okay," Bud set a hand on the table, "but it also isn't okay that we panic. Keeping the evil creatures at bay while gathering information will be all of your goals, as well as mine."

"Doesn't the Gravity Falls headmaster need some reinforcement?"

Pacifica scowled at the one who asked the question. Said person visibly slid deeper into their seat at her icy glare, much to Dipper's impression. Although, he suppressed a chuckle. Bud smiled, "Headmistress, would you like some assistance?"

She deadpanned, "No."

"There's your answer."

The meeting droned on about the progression of the Soul Fighters in training and the repression of the monsters and demons. They also brought up the rate of breaches and rifts in all of the academies' areas and how well they have been taking care of them. Dipper took down the necessary notes needed, and occasionally looked up to see Pacifica was deeply engaged with the meeting. Honestly, this was quite boring, although it was required.

Once it concluded, everyone made their leave. Pacifica made no move to do so, however. Dipper furrowed his eyebrows, but saw Bud making his way towards the pair. The male twin gulped, "Hi, again."

"Howdy, I never introduced myself. I'm Bud Gleeful," The CEO was still giving his friendly smile, "I knew I'd see ya' here soon. Whad'ya' think?"

Pacifica didn't interject, she only stood and listened to them speak. Dipper barely gained more reassurance from her silence, "It's interesting, definitely interesting."

The two males nodded in mutual agreement, and the headmistress held a blank look. Bud questioned, "Have ya' ever had this type of work before?"

"Well, I've never really worked," The brunette replied sheepishly. The older man was taken aback, "Oh, really? What a surprise, seeing this is the second highest rank you'll get in the academies."

Just as Dipper was about to drawl, dumbfounded, Pacifica piped up monotonously, "I offered him this job for his capability and intelligence, and he gladly accepted. Thank you sir for your introduction."

"No biggie."

"Hm, yes," Pacifica turned on her heel, "Come along now, Pines."

"O-Okay," He complied quickly after waving goodbye to the CEO, who waved back. As they were striding back to their teleportation pad, Pacifica huffed, "You need to learn how to be more professional."

"Well, you basically threw me in a pool without teaching me how to swim."

"I thought you'd be able to figure it out, or at least have some background knowledge," She sighed as they stepped onto the white platform, "It'll be a learning process for you, then."

"Fun," He threw a sneer her way, and she did the same.

Appearing back to her majestic office, Dipper shivered again. He turned to her, "What now?"

"Now, go get yourself familiar with the school, really familiar," She smirked at him, "I'll test you on that soon. Then you can meet the staff."

"More memorization, bleh. Do I get a map?"

"No, you make your own." She told him plainly.

"How am I supposed to do that with all the locked doors and stuff?" Dipper derided. Pacifica rolled her eyes, "What do you think the other keys on that key chain was for? One for your office, one to every door in the academy, and one for all the public buildings in town."

"In town?!"

"Of course, you'll need all the accessibility you can get if you are to work," She crossed her arms, "This is an important job, Dipper."

"Well, thanks for telling me that now," He frowned, "Why me?"

"Simple," She looked away, "I trust you."

Before he could react, she suddenly whipped her head back towards him, "Now get to work!"

"Alright! Yeesh!" He grouched before leaving her office. Checking that the keys were still in his vest pocket, he began to roam the lavish halls with a pencil and paper in hand. Students were apparently out this time, heading towards their next classes. Most of them either looked down or looked up to him because of their stature. But they all made way for him, staring at the badge that was pinned on his chest. He grumbled, "It's just a badge."

As he mentally and physically recorded where each classroom was, students would watch him through the windows of the doors. Using the rest of his work hours to roam the school, his unexpected appearance began to spread more throughout the school. Students of all ages passed on to each other of the new young brunette who worked with their headmistress, and others would overhear, causing more and more people to become aware. Although, only a few of the hundreds knew his name.

Dipper yawned as he leaned against the window, adding to the makeshift map in his hand with his pencil. It was pretty close to being completed, but not quite. He jumped at the faint sound of the glass being hit behind him. Turning around, he spotted Wendy waving cheerily at him while the teacher was turned away. He gave a boyish grin and waved back.

"Ouch!" Dipper yelped at the sudden blow to his head. He fixed his hat and looked to his offender. Pacifica had her hands on her hips, glowering at him. She proclaimed, "School ends in a few, go pack up."

"Got it, boss," He mocked, brushing her hair with his hand as he walked past. She rapidly grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back and restrained his other arm from stopping her, causing the items in his hands to fall. The blonde growled down at him, "Don't do that."

"Why not?" His eyes were narrowing in pain, but he still held a taunting smirk as he looked up at her, "Just trying to brush off some stress."

"Who said I'm stressing?"

"Your face," He winced as she pulled his arm farther down, "It's written all over."

Before she could respond verbally or physically, a cough was heard from in front of them, earning their attention. McGucket nervously chuckled, "Am I interrupting something?"

"No!" They shouted simultaneously, breaking apart from their pose. Why did these kinds of things always happen with her? The older man snorted, "If you say so, have a good rest of the day, you guys."

McGucket exited the scene to go home himself. A couple moments of silence passed as they stood in the hall, refusing to meet each other in the eyes. Another weird moment happens, of course they are the ones to experience it. Manning up, Dipper cleared his throat and faced her, attempting to lighten the mood, "Uh, my first day was pretty cool."

She gave him a nod of acknowledgement, but nothing more. From what he could tell, she seemed pretty edgy about the situation, too. Rubbing the back of his head, he contemplated saying anything more. Deciding to not make the unpleasant predicament worse, he hastily vamoosed with his shoulders tense and his head down.

He made sure to remember to buy himself a clock on the way home.

* * *

After the picture was taken, she had realized all too well how close they were. In an attempt to break the sudden uncomfortable situation, she spoke up, "So, how come I didn't hear your heartbeat?"

"I don't have a heart…?" Bill stated as if she should have already known. Mabel gave an edgy chuckle, "Oh, well, maybe I could give you mine?"

An instant pause.

And then she screamed.

Her scream faded into an uneasy giggle, "Well, would you look at the sun, I have to get going!"

As she was putting on her backpack, Bill regained his composure from her sudden outburst of shrieking. He looked up, "It's still morning."

"So?!"

And then she left.

Her arrival at the shack was also abrupt, with her kicking the door open and running upstairs with, "I still have my soul!"

She closed the door behind her, and pursed the map she used to return home back into her backpack. The female twin took out the camera right after. Waddles jerked up from his sleep, only to find his owner back from her leave. She briskly stroked his head before resuming to her work. Time to get some pictures printed!

Mabel waved the pictures, before setting them down on her bed. She checked them out. They were freshly printed and completely dried. She scrutinized each of them, her expression varying. Then, she stopped at her last photo.

It was of her and Bill. She was beaming, and there was a ghost of a smirk on his face. They were lying next to each other on the grassy ground with her arm outstretched to take the picture. It was perfect since he couldn't argue. He had been drained of any energy left, apparently.

Mabel sighed contently, before slapping her face. As she began to put the images in her scrapbook, her mind replayed her morning with Bill over and over from start to finish, mocking her about her mistake at the end. It was just a few hours ago, too! Where it seemed like her entire mind decided to go stupid on her. She was going to go crazy, being the only one who knew of this secret! She had to tell Dipper, he deserved to know.

She shut the book and stared at the cover. It seemed like something was missing on her scrapbook that would strike out to people that this was hers. Her tongue stuck out in thought, before a lightbulb popped over her head. Grabbing specific colored sheets of construction paper, she drew and cut and taped, before gluing the final product onto her scrapbook's cover.

Mabel held up her scrapbook to gaze at her work. A shooting star, the same one that was on her signature sweater, adorned the front. She smiled, this was the finishing touch she needed!

The door opened, and Dipper walked in with an exhausted look on his face with a clock and bag in hand. Mabel quickly shoved her scrapbook under the bed and hopped off. She closed the door before turning around to face her brother. Taking him by the shoulder, she stated, "I need to tell you something."

"Is it about the mermaids?" He set down his objects.

"No, I'll tell you about that another time."

"What has gotten into you?" Dipper frowned at her serious state.

"Be prepared to find out," She looked him dead in the eyes, "and I don't think Grunkle Ford or Grunkle Stan should know yet."

"It's that important?"

"Very."

Waddles watched as she pulled him into the closet of their room, shutting the door behind them. He oinked, before leaving the room in search for food.

Turning the lights on, she sat on one end of the cramped space while he sat on the other. The clothes were hung behind them limply, and boxes of shoes were gathering dust on the floor. There was complete and utter silence.

For being so dour, he'd believe that she would've come out with whatever she had to say already. They were just staring at each other, as if they were looking into their reflection. His expression was a tad curious, but also puzzled. Hers looked as though she was holding her breath, and her eyes seemed uncertain.

Dipper pursed his lips, before speaking, "So—"

"I like Bill!"

He blinked.

She blinked.

He spoke—ever so slowly, "Run that by me again?"

"No!" She threw a random shoe at him, and he yelped. Mabel covered her flushed face with her hands, "You heard me! I'm not saying it again! I can't say it again!"

Dipper breathed as he rubbed his now sore arm, "Why?"

"It's weird! Really, really, really, really, really weird!" She was talking almost too fast for him to catch and her voice was scratching the surface of turning into a yell. He spoke in a low tone, and he looked unperturbed, but she caught his eye twitch.

"You are weird, Mabel."

"I know that, but this is a different type of weird!" She stressed quietly, "Why don't you scream or something?!"

"Honestly, I would," He gulped, "but if I were to scream right now, only dogs would hear me."

This is not how she imagined how it would go. He was supposed to be freaking out, not her! Why was he so calm?! Mabel shouted in a whisper, "Then say something!"

"What I want to say right now is something child filter wouldn't be able to block," Dipper inhaled deeply.

She probably shouldn't ask, but she did anyways, "Then why don't you do something?"

"I know one thing I want to do," He punched his palm into his fist, seething, "and that's to make sure he can never procreate."

Mabel shot her hands up to her mouth, "That's so crude."

He didn't seem to care. She shook her head, "But you can't do that!"

"Why not?" He whined.

"He's under the protection of my affection! So no hurting!"

"Protection of my—what? And if he hurts me?"

"That's an exception, but I'll make sure he won't, either!"

"How, exactly?"

"I'm Mabel!" She winked and gave her brightest grin. This reveal went even better than she had imagined! The female twin regained some of her mettle at this belief. But Dipper pinched the bridge of his nose, "You really think he'll just listen to you like that?"

"I mean, I don't see why not," Mabel flipped her hair, "I'm pretty good with what I say."

"Okay, and if you like him, what if he—I don't know—doesn't like you back because he's a pompous, vicious, dream-demon?"

"Well, I already know that he doesn't like me," The female twin announced casually, and Dipper's face fell, "Mabel…"

"That's fine, I don't expect anything to change!"

"You're going to get hurt."

"It's just a tiny crush!"

"And those can turn into love!" Dipper declared. She was taken aback, and didn't know how to respond for a moment. Mabel let out short, incoherent sounds of protest, before actually speaking, "I don't think that's bad."

"Mabel, there are so many bad things that could happen! He could be using you, he could be just like Gideon, he could kill you with his bare hands, or take you where we'll never see you again!" Dipper explained with slight infuriation, "You really think he thinks of you as a friend?"

"Yes, I do!" Mabel slammed her hands down, "I told you that you could trust me!"

"This is taking it too far!"

"Too far for what?"

"Too far that I'll also lose you!" Dipper contended, "I just want to protect you!"

"There's nothing to protect me from, he's safe!"

"Sure, and if he doesn't hurt you," Dipper scorned, "you'll just end up hurting yourself. Love hurts! It makes people do crazy things! I mean, remember Giffany?"

"But it's also wonderful! It's something that two people will share between each other that is only unique to them! Like Soos and Melody!"

They were barely whispering anymore, and occasionally raising their voice higher than they were supposed to. He retorted, "So you're saying that one day, he'll love you?"

"No!" Her face burned at the thought. Dipper replied with disdain, "Then that means love won't be wonderful for you! It'll just be painful!"

Mabel opened her mouth to keep arguing, but she found that she couldn't say anything. He was right, of course he was right.

Although, he inwardly doubted his own words. Not that he wanted him to, but why hadn't the dream-demon killed her yet? Bill had even agreed to go to the Valentine's Day fair with her, but for what? He didn't get anything in return, and he shouldn't have had anything to prove. He couldn't possibly like her back, could he? Oh, gross.

Her own mind was racing with a single question. Why did she like Bill if it would only end in heartbreak? But it's not like she chose to, it just… happened!

She was quiet, and he began to simmer down.

"Mabel…?" Dipper gently called out. She buried her chin in her knees, "I didn't choose, my heart did."

She whispered, "But I didn't tell you this so you can stop me, I just wanted to let you know because you're my brother."

"I'm not trying to… stop you," Dipper sighed, "I can't stop or tell you how you feel. I'm just worried you'll get more hurt."

"Dipper…" Mabel's eyes softened, "always with the worrying, huh? I promise that I'll be happy enough when just hanging around him."

"Will you?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Really—"

A new, extremely familiar voice cut in, "So, what're you guys talking about?!"

"AH!" The twins screamed at the same time. The grunkles below them stopped immediately with what they were doing, before shrugging and continuing with their things. Dipper and Mabel whirled their heads to find Bill floating above them. She stuttered, "H-How did you get in here?!"

"I teleported," Bill made a popping noise with his lips, "because I heard you both yelling in this dingy closet. And this morning, I felt like something was up, so I wanted to find out!"

Mabel's expression was horrified, and Dipper pointed his sword menacingly at the blonde, "How much did you hear?!"

"Nothing, unfortunately," The dream-demon flipped upside down, his hat was still fixed on his head, "So, what's the secret? I wanna know!"

"No!" The male twin yelled.

"Tell me!"

"No!"

"Tell meee!"

"No!"

"Why won't you—"

There was a sniffle. Both males jerked their heads around to find Mabel with her head down, hands palming her face. Dipper scurried over to her hastily, "Mabel! What's wrong?!"

Bill chuckled a bit awkwardly, more like he was trying to remember the word "jalapeño." He inched closer, flipping right side up, "Shooting Star—"

"Get out!" She shrieked. Dipper jumped from his spot as she started hurling a barrage of old shoes at the dream-demon. Mabel's face was red and her eyes were teary, and her brother could guess that she was way too embarrassed to think straight right now. Bill yelped in surprise while dodging the shoes unexpectedly skillfully, "Why is she like this, Pine Tree?!"

"I don't know, why don't you ask her?" Dipper rolled his eyes. One shoe collided with Bill's face, knocking him out cold. The male twin tapped his chin, "I wonder if this is a weakness."

The attack stopped. Panicked tapping on the floor could be heard as she attempted to find more shoes to throw with. Dipper cracked a small, mischievous smile. He's never seen her so hysterical. As pitiful as it was, he actually tried to hold in a laughing fit. Was this something he could use against her?

Oh man, imagine all the jokes he could make. And the power he'd have as his sister crumbles in embarrassment while Bill would probably be too idiotic to realize what the they would be referring to. What a time to be alive!

The male twin stood up and opened the door. Mabel shot her head up, "Where are you going?!"

"I think I heard Grunkle Ford call me, so—"

"NO!"

"Oh, come on, Mabel," Dipper hung on the door nonchalantly, a sly grin on his face, "What can happen? He's unconscious, you're both in a closet—"

"H-He's not supposed to be here! I'll let him out!"

Mabel picked up his foot. Dragging him through the doorway and across their room, she opened the window. She hurled him outside their room with a battle cry, and he was out of sight. Dipper began to laugh, but he quickly tried to hold it back, failing, "Mabel! Why did you just do that?!"

"He won't die from that," Mabel cringed at the thump, and the groan that came afterwards, "probably."

She stuck her head out to observe as Bill staggered onto his feet. He was quiet, until, "WHAT THE HELL—"

"Hey! This is Mabel, she isn't here right now!" Mabel asserted robotically as she directly looked at Bill, "Leave a message after the beep! Beep!"

"A message?!" He stomped, outraged and aflamed, "I'll leave you a message!"

Just then, Ford slammed the door open on the porch, his soul weapon in hand. He pointed it at the dream-demon, "Aha! I knew there was trouble!"

Dipper could be heard laughing his head off, and Mabel nearly pulled her hair out, "Grunkle Ford, no!"

She waved her hands around like a maniac, "Bill, just go away right now, okay? I'm not feeling well! We can talk later, right?"

Her voice grew a bit quieter and more awkward at the end. He glared at her and hissed like a cat, before fleeing into the forest. Ford's shots narrowly hit him, and ended up singing the trees and bushes. He huffed and went back inside the shack, seeing that the blonde wouldn't be returning.

Mabel whisked her head around after shutting the window. She grabbed a pillow from her bed and tackled her brother, who had been of no help.

He gasped, "Wait, wait!"

She arched an eyebrow as he asked deviously, "Did you check out that foot size?"

Oh, she was so going to jail. Reason: murdering her own brother with a pillow.

* * *

 **My dearies who didn't understand that last joke, check it out if you want. Urban dictionary is your friend :D**

 **She admits it, everyone! It's official. But I wonder if that's good or bad? ;) She actually realized it last chapter, in case you may have been wondering.**

 **The twins are so unfortunate, I wonder how they get into such awkward moments? *whistles innocently***

 **Of course, I'm not one to spare everyone, they just happen to have it the most. Heheheheh.**

 **Farewell, but not for too long, hopefully!**


	28. Chapter 28

**PRETTY IMPORTANT: Guys, I'm really sorry. Pacifica is still twelve, she isn't thirteen yet. I realized my mistake, so this is to clarify for those who still remember from chapter 16 where it said she was thirteen. I fixed that as well.**

 **Blargh(Guest): Unfortunately, it didn't, darn Bill! Heh, hello and welcome!**

 **deloreansareawesome69: I did ;) it was a request in the reviews and I thought eh why not, it wouldn't be too far off from my story :D**

 **Aqua Burst 07: Let's say that her face was so red, it was indescribable. ;D**

 **Hello everyone who's jumping aboard our ship of a story! Or our plane of adventure! Or our train of destiny! Whatever transportation we are using, I guess.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

Ah, the Nightmare Realm. Full of chaos, hatred, and death. And the best part, no annoying, confusing brunette to harass him with mindless talk or shoes.

Bill absentmindedly floated in the dreary darkness, above the eerie fog that engulfed the bleak wasteland. Roaring flames could be heard in the distance. Distorted grumbling arose from here and there from below him, but none of it intrigued him. His eye was closed, his hands were behind his head and his leg was crossed over the other. Despite the unperturbed expression he let on, his thinking was critical.

About three and a half weeks ago, he brought her to the lake where the mermaids resided. Then, something changed about her. In the boat, especially, was where the sudden shift occurred at its peak. It wasn't visible or physically. No, it was more like deep within. Although, of course, she wouldn't be able to see it. He wondered if she even knew what happened to herself.

Maybe she did, seeing that during the last three and a half weeks, there was a ghost of something different in her attitude, but he couldn't seem to fathom. Her eyes seemed to soften when she frequently looked at him, but it wasn't out of pity. She kept up with her constant physical contact and chatting about trivial things that he barely cared about. And it seemed that they were around each other often, much to the chagrin of her family.

During the boat ride, he examined her soul more closely. It was still its bewildering, scintillating yellow. Yet, he didn't think it was possible, but it seemed to had gotten even brighter. Although, that wasn't what astonished him the most. He caught the slight pink blend that appeared in the center. So, he realized that her soul wasn't purely yellow. It was actually rose gold.

However, the yellow was overpowering the pink, causing him to question if her soul had always been rose gold because he'd never noticed the tint of pink in the middle. He also speculated how her soul could change colors, or how it could have two separate ones.

Then, a conclusion popped in his mind, one that he really didn't want to believe was true.

And if it was, she'd be in danger.

Just because he was labeled the worst demon, didn't mean that he lacked knowledge of other things. Eavesdropping was always fun. Using information against his enemies was also quite fun, especially when everyone was his enemy. But there may be this one time where he accidentally stumbled upon some things that he thought only to be legend.

He had even heard Adrian say it himself, as well. And that frightening, forever-smiling demon seemed to know what he was talking about most of the time.

However, he refused to believe so. She was only Shooting Star. Not exactly his enemy, nor his friend. She believed to be his friend, to which Bill would eagerly deny. She was just the girl who barged into his life and demanded things he would never give to other people. And for some reason, he can't muster up any evil to kill her. Not that he'd be able to kill her with his flames, but with his hands, or an object of some sort.

Alas, he just can't. Something cordial was stopping him, and he learned all too well that it was there to stay for who knows how long. He would never admit to anyone of the action he chose to do during the four months he was absent from her life. He was so infuriated with the wretched feeling in his chest that he stuck a hand through his torso and immediately regretted his decision. Definitely not one of his greatest plans.

A brisk notion left him wondering if the warm feeling and her soul was related. Yet, it's not that the sensation felt bad, it was just strange. And he actually didn't know what the outcome may be.

And _no_ , he was not _scared_.

Unfortunately, he had no idea how to get rid of it, so he was stuck with it.

He did know one thing now—much to his vexation—that there was an incoming attack directed to him. And now, he felt as though his waist was being crushed as he was dragged through the air towards the ground. Bill swiftly regained his focus from his pondering and retaliated with burning whatever was wrapped around his abdomen. To his misfortune, it had virtually no effect.

He struggled to free himself, but the burning grip was too tight. The dream-demon found himself staring at an obnoxiously pink, womanly figure with a head full of horns and her own single eye. She cooed, "Well, if it isn't everyone's favorite? Cipher!"

"Pyronica," He spat. She swept her cape and smiled teasingly, "You remember me, I'm so glad! How's it going?"

Bill responded with grunts as he tried to escape her pink fire whip, but no luck. She cackled at his attempts and sighed, "Is that so? I had a pretty lousy day. There was this dumb guy who broke off the deal, it really hurt my feelings."

"I don't give a shit."

"And then I came back here and found you!" She squealed, "I thought I could relieve some anger, since you are the perfect dummy of a human!"

Pyronica licked her lips with excitement and hunger for blood. Disturbed, he shuddered briefly, before snarling at her, "Don't take me lightly."

"I don't have to," She jerked him towards her at high speed while unraveling him from the whip, leaving his head spinning. Once he was close enough, she shot an aflamed, hard punch straight into his gut. As he flew across the land, she yelled out cheerfully, "You can't get any lighter than this!"

Her boisterous laughing could be heard widely as Bill tumbled and crashed into a lifeless tree. He scrunched his face at the immense pain in his stomach and the sound of her joy. Coughing out crimson fluid, he looked down to his body with blurry vision. Great, his coat and his shirt was ruined. He'd have to steal some other expensive clothing to keep up a dapper image. Oh, and an injury was present.

It was a large, purple bruise, along with some scratches that poured blood, and his entire lower torso bloomed a red hue. And as one would think, it hurt. It hurt a lot.

Wiping the blood that trailed from the side of his mouth, he teleported out of there before she would try anything else. Bill materialized back into the Earth plane and landed on his knees, staining the grassy ground with ruby liquid. He had to keep himself up with trembling arms. But then, he coughed out more blood. Stupid Pyronica and her stupid abilities.

The alarmed inhabitants of the forests scurried away as he gradually recollected his thoughts. However, his strength rapidly drained from his arms, and he surrendered to gravity. Focusing on his wound, he could feel it began to heal, albeit slowly, as always. Bill cursed, he would be stuck healing himself again, and no Gideon to foolishly make a deal with him.

He could perceive his breathing becoming ragged and his consciousness was flickering. How badly was he injured again? Flipping onto his back, he placed his gloved hand atop of his wound, before flinching back with a yelp. His injury stung greatly and throbbed continuously.

Placing his hand back onto the ground, he could feel it dampen. Bill had a guess that there was now a substantial amount of blood in the puddle he was lying in.

Wait, was he somehow teleporting back into the Nightmare Realm? That should be impossible.

So, why was everything becoming… so… dark…?

* * *

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

The sound of lead constantly scratching on paper, heavy stamping and stapling, or the clicking of a pen could be heard to assist the clock in disrupting the silence. A blonde could be seen with her head down, attentively doing her work, ignoring all of these.

There was a rapping at her door. She didn't look up, "Come in."

Dipper walked in, shutting the door behind him. Suddenly, two hands slammed down on her desk, causing her to glare up. He was glaring back down at her. They continued to stay that way, until his mouth broke into a grin, "It's been almost been a full month since I've been here! I memorized your dumb school, some of the citizens, some of the town, some of the staff. Isn't that great?"

"And you came all the way here and disturbed my work," She stated monotonously, "to brag."

"Yes."

"I may as well fire you now."

Dipper rolled his eyes, "Come on, Pacifica. Lighten up."

Her eye twitched, "Have you been hanging around Stanley or something? You've been getting awfully confident as of late."

He shrugged. In fact, he has been, even after Grunkle Stan explained hormones and glands to him, much to the destruction of his childhood. Mabel was unsure what happened to him that day while Grunkle Stan was laughing and Grunkle Ford pitied him.

He crouched to the level of her desk, "Nevermind that! Shouldn't I get some recognition?"

Pacifica was unimpressed, "Just keep up the work. School is dismissed, goodbye."

Dipper frowned, "What about you?"

"I'll leave soon."

"Okay…" He got up, dejection sinking in his chest. Before he took up the job, he would only see Pacifica a few times, and she seemed to be more… varied than this. Not just plain, old, cold and distant, like he now saw every weekday. Nevertheless, he turned on his heel and waved, "See you tomorrow."

She didn't wave back or even look up from her desk. He sighed discreetly and left her office. Making his way down the halls, he took a glimpse outside the windows.

Robbie and Wendy were leaving hand-in-hand, talking about something he couldn't interpret. A bittersweet smile dawned upon his face as he resumed to the academy's exit. Turning the corner, Dipper halted before he bumped into his older friend. Soos gasped, "So it's true!"

The brunette was puzzled, "Uh, what?"

"I heard there was some brown-haired kid that worked with the headmistress, and my mentor told me you became her personal strategist! That's some honor right there."

Dipper was taken aback, "Students are talking about me?"

"It might be the entire school, maybe some of the town!"

Dipper prevented himself from gathering too big of a head, and waved him off, "Enough about me, what about you?"

"I'm still working, as usual. Learning the ways of my mentor," Soos informed in high spirits. Dipper questioned, "And with Melody?"

"Melody is in the middle of designing this really classy building in Portland, and we're making our long distance relationship work," He beamed, "Oh, and McGucket likes to give her some pointers to make the buildings look fabulous while being efficient."

"That's nice of him."

"Yeah, and we have been talking about more than just work. It's really nice, we might go fishing one day," Soos' clapped his hands like a child, "Or even better, play catch!"

"Huh, I haven't really gone fishing before," Dipper commented. He took his mind off of it, "I'm glad that you'll be able to experience stuff like that now, Soos."

"Yep, my grandmother would also be happy for me," He responded wistfully. Dipper fretted, "Oh, dude, I'm so sorry!"

"For what?"

"Bringing up your deceased grandmother?" Dipper replied, unsure why Soos didn't mind. His older friend chortled, "What? She isn't dead! She's just on a vacation in Vegas."

Soos took on a more solemn tone, "There's only one topic that I don't like to talk about."

"Dogs versus cats?"

"The other one."

"Oh... " Dipper bit his tongue from digging into the subject, then inquired, "Anyways, I have another question. Not really about you, though."

Soos granted, "Shoot."

The male twin tried to be nonchalant, "Do you know why Pacifica is in a bad mood?"

"Eh, she's always like that, dude," Soos chuckled, prompting his younger friend to also snicker. He insisted, "Any particular reason why?"

Soos shook his head, and Dipper blew a raspberry. The male twin was slightly disappointed, but stifled it from showing. He uttered, "Alright, I gotta bounce."

His way towards the grand doors was a bit lengthy, going down several flights of stairs and halls. Although, it didn't matter much to him, since he knew exactly where was going. He would roam around the school a lot when the students weren't out and about, memorizing which path led where. The attention he would acquire wasn't necessarily bad, but he felt a bit overwhelmed with all the eyes on him.

"Oh, wait!" Soos called for him as Dipper was nearing the doors. The apprentice inquired, "Are you and the headmistress a thing—?"

"Bye!" Dipper speedily fled the academy before his friend could anticipate his answer. Groaning, he slapped his face a numerous amount of times, before making his way back home. There were kids out on the street with parents watching over them carefully. Teens were leisurely enjoying themselves inside or outside the cafes. This town wasn't very modern, but not that primitive, either. Cars were rarely used since most places were at walking distance, but Dipper remembered that Stan was just a natural rebel. Citizens took a few glances at him as he walked past, and he recognized a few of them.

"Dipper!" Wendy called out from one of the tables outside a cafe, and he felt himself freeze up. Fixing his composure, he greeted as he walked over to her, "Wendy, what's up?"

"Oh, please, I'm sure what's happening with you is much more interesting," She placed her elbows down and rested her chin in her hands. Robbie was leaning back and sipping his drink, glaring at the brunette. Dipper didn't look at him, "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean? Dude, you got hired to work with the headmistress! That's some legitimate set up by the universe!"

"Set up?" Dipper spluttered, "Y-You mean like, couple set up?"

"Well, yeah," Wendy grinned, "I didn't actually see it at first. But Robbie put it in my head, and I can't stop thinking about it!"

She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, "I ship it."

"Whoa, uh, okay," Dipper's voice cracked, "There is nothing happening. Besides, I kind've like… another girl."

For some reason, saying that made guilt settle in his stomach, as if he had just bluntly lied. But he wasn't lying, he didn't like Pacifica, he liked Wendy! At least, that's what it felt like, or seems to feel like. He grimaced inwardly, why must this be so complicated?

Wendy didn't buy it, "Check again, dude."

"Yeah, I'll do that…" Dipper mumbled. She shook her cup, "I have to go get another drink, see you around."

After she left, Dipper shot a glare at Robbie, who never stopped scowling at him. The brunette chose to leave before anything started between them. The walk back to the shack was tedious, since he's seen these woods so many times. He couldn't wait to just slacken in his home, unbothered by the presence of other people. Stepping onto the porch, he opened the door and shouted, "I'm home!"

His eyes bugged out at the sight. Bill was in his living room, lying on the couch. There was no clothing over the upper half of his body, and his pants was caked in blood and dirt. Yet, he was unconscious. There was a huge gauze wrapped around his abdomen, with visible blood trying to seep through. His sister was on her knees next to him, her arms crossed as she laid her head down to stare at the blonde's peaceful face.

Dipper closed the door and went next to her, sitting down comfortably. He snorted, "So, he knows?"

"Knows what?" She turned to him with furrowed eyebrows. He answered, "That you like—"

He yelped as she struck out and hit him. Dipper protested, "It's not like he can hear me!"

"He might."

He stuck his tongue at her, "Well, how else would he be hurt this badly, if not from a super enraged, flustered Mabel?"

"Stop that," She pouted. Dipper decided that since this seemed really important to her than it was to him, he'd try to care at least a little bit, or pretend to, "Then what happened?"

"Waddles led me to him," She said quietly, as if not trying to wake the dream-demon, "I didn't know what to do, so I brought him here."

"And the Grunkles were okay with it?" He asked, unconvinced. She scratched her cheek, "I'm not sure. They were actually staring more at me than Bill. But they patched him up and gave him a potion, so I guess. Now, Grunkle Stan is in the shop scamming customers, and Grunkle Ford is in his lab talking to someone on the phone."

Well, they probably worried more for Mabel's emotional state than Bill's physical one. She must've expressed some intense anxiety to persuade them that quickly, and even take care of him. Honestly, though, how injured was he if one potion couldn't heal him completely? He shouldn't even need a gauze after one. The male twin could bet that she was still apprehensive about Bill's current condition. Dipper remarked, "He'll be fine, this idiot has stubbornness that's bigger than the iceberg that sunk the Titanic."

Mabel bursted out into a giggle, but she had to cover her mouth. She nodded, "Yeah, I know."

He stood up and stretched, "Right, well, make sure he doesn't burn the shack down in his sleep."

"Where you going?"

"To take a shower," He paused, "preferably a long, thoughtful one."

"Okay, dork," She eyed him skeptically, and he just mocked a creepy smile, before heading upstairs. Mabel turned back to watch Bill. No wanton or nefarious intentions, just simply for her own satisfaction that he was still right in front of her, healing, and not dying half-naked in the middle of the forest in a vast amount of blood.

She loosened her shoulders and exhaled, allowing a small smile to arise.

 _He was okay_.

* * *

Pacifica hesitated, "A party?"

"Yes, a grand one for your birthday!" Preston rose a fist, "We Northwests won't stand for anything less!"

Priscilla nodded, "We'll invite all of our richest acquaintances across the country and hold it here!"

"You've never done anything like this for me before," She stated mildly, stifling a small smile that urged to crack. Was this a reward for her efforts?

"Yes, you are coming of age," Her father puffed his chest, "We must start preparing you for courting."

And with that, her accumulating pillar of hope wobbled.

She choked out, "C-Courting?"

The blonde would've slapped herself for stuttering like a fool. Her mother was indifferent, "Despite the dirty work you do daily, you've matured quite nicely! Men will be flocking around you like birds, and you'll be sure to find yourself a suitable husband!"

Her tower of hope teetered and collapsed, shattering into a million pieces.

Preston added, "It's the least you can do to redeem yourself."

And now, the heaping shambles of hope was on fire.

Before they could continue, she shook herself out of shock, "Marriage? I will not get married at such a young age!"

"That is not your choice to make!" Priscilla declared.

"It should be mine," She countered, "It is rightfully mine! I will decide who I will give my love to, not—"

The ringing of the bell stopped her instantly. Preston scowled, "Don't concern yourself with such trivial things, this is just business. Besides, you'll never find someone who will be great enough for genuine Northwest devotion."

"Oh, yeah?" She gritted her teeth, "What about you and mother?"

"We were fortunate, of course," He boasted, hanging an arm around his wife's waist, "Love like this doesn't come this rich or beautiful."

Priscilla giggled and he smirked, while Pacifica restrained a gag. He shooed her away, "We'll refresh you on your party mannerisms. Afterall, it is only in a few days, and we must be perfect."

Her mother clapped twice, "Butlers, go fetch our finest decor. Maids, go through party etiquette preparations with our daughter. We have invitations to send out!"

"And blackmail to obtain, in case they refuse to come," Her father said darkly, before brightening up, "Of course, who would deny us?"

They left the main room, taking their intense air of arrogance with them. Pacifica could name one or two people that would go against their snobby faces. Maybe like Ford or McGucket under certain circumstances, probably Stanley just because he wouldn't care. She also guessed Dipper would for some reason. Oh, and if her parents cared at all, she herself!

"Young m-mistress, this way, please," A maid had inquired reluctantly, stepping in front from the line. The butlers bowed and left to fulfill their duties. The blonde huffed, before following the line of female servants to her royal wardrobe. Their personal seamstress awaited, and began speaking when everyone was settled, "The madam requested for you to wear a seafoam green ball gown at the party."

"I want it purple."

"P-Purple?!" The seamstress spluttered, and the maids' faces were shocked. Pacifica tapped her chin, "Is purple over the top?"

"That isn't w-what the madam requested!"

"You're right," The blonde crossed her arms, and the seamstress sighed in relief. But then, Pacifica affirmed, "Make it violet."

"There's no difference!"

"Then, it'll be easier for you," Pacifica adamantly told her. The seamstress tried to voice her concern as this was going against the madam's wishes, but the young mistress' glare was frightening her quite very much. She gulped, "It s-shall be violet."

Pacifica eyed her nails in consideration, "Good."

As the dreading seamstress began to redesign the dress, the maids quickly huddled up and contemplated what they should be doing while the dress was going to be remade. They came to a decision after a while. Clearing her throat, a maid gestured, "This way, young mistress."

Once again following her female servants, Pacifica found herself seated at her ritzy dinner table. The full set of the fancy dinner proprietary was in front of her, where all the forks and spoons and plates and cups were to be. She blew a strand of hair from her face as she rested her cheek on her palm. A maid stood beside her with a clipboard in hand, "Here you are. May you name them all—?"

Pacifica listed uncaringly and relentlessly, pointing to each respective item, "Salad plate, salad fork, dinner plate, dinner fork…"

The maid squeaked as she had to keep glancing up and down to check if the blonde was right. In less than a minute, all the utensils, dishes, and glasses were named correctly. The observing maids had their eyes bulging while the maid beside her was flabbergasted. She forced down her astonishment. Of course, they should expect nothing less from their young mistress. Pacifica rolled her eyes to the maid, "What's next?"

"N-Next is," The maid fixed her composure, "the waltz. However, to make it a perfect rehearsal, we'll need to put you in a practice ball gown."

Pacifica arched an eyebrow, "If you insist."

And then, she once again had to trail after her female servants. Reappearing at the royal wardrobe, the seamstress was still feverishly sketching. A maid hurriedly took a simple, white ball gown from a hanger and gave it to the blonde. Pacifica shut herself inside the dressing room and quickly changed into the dress. Walking out, her hairstylist was evidently outside.

The hairstylist sat her down and yanked her hair back, to which Pacifica hissed, "Not so tight!"

A maid stuffed her feet in tight heels while another fluffed her ball gown. One left to retrieve her dance instructor. The hairstylist didn't falter, "This is only for practice!"

The young mistress frowned, but her hairstylist paid no mind as she wrapped and tied her hair in a large, neat bun, making sure there were no stray strands. The hairstylist patted it, "There."

Pacifica stiffly stood up from her seat as everyone else in the room admired how pretty she looked at her youthful age. The blonde had forgotten how uncomfortable the clothes were since she was so used to wearing her headmistress uniform. She squirmed discreetly, just wanting to get the preparations over with. A tick mark popped, and Pacifica barked, "What are you all waiting for?!"

They all let out their squeaks, before the maids ushered her to the ball room. Her instructor was too tall to actually dance with her, and he wasn't easily flustered. That, she was very much thankful for. Relaxing her posture, Pacifica got into her position, as if she was dancing with someone. Her instructor had actually told her once to imagine that she had a partner for better practice.

The music began, and she began with it. Her feet and her arms were in sync, her hips swayed with the beat, but she refrained from opening her eyes. Having closed eyes helped her rehearse. But then, she felt as though her dress was getting heavier, and her face contorted to irritation. She imagined that she was at her classy party, surrounded by rich, fake people, dancing with some unknown guy who probably only wanted her family's money and the status of being called her husband!

Suddenly, she tipped on her heel, breaking her out of her flawless rhythm. The instructor clicked his tongue repetitively in disappointment as the music stopped and gasps were heard. Pacifica's eyes widened in horror at her mistake. She had been distracted by the awful conscious of only looked upon as a doll.

The instructor demanded, "What was that, young mistress? I've seen you do better!"

Well, that had surely never happened before. She had always danced with an imaginary, wealthy person with an undefined face, and it always worked. Why didn't it work this time? Was it because this time, the one she'd have to dance with would have the intention of taking her hand in marriage?

She shook her head, "Nothing. Did anyone bother to wax these floors, let alone sweep them?"

There was a moment of murmurs, before a maid spoke up, "N-No, we shall do that now."

"Should've done it earlier," Pacifica crossed her arms, mustering up a glare, "What would my parents do about this?"

The maids hastily went to work, exiting the room and returning in a snap. They had brooms and mops in their hands, rapidly cleaning the floor until there would be no spot untouched. Pacifica took this time to stand back and become less tense, trying to clear up her mind and avoid feeling any kind of pity for the maids. Her instructor stood beside her, breaking her from her trance. He imparted, "I know you'd be able to dance the waltz backwards in a minefield. What is the true issue?"

"None of your concern," She sneered. He only wiggled his finger in disapproval, "That is not good, young mistress."

He began to describe with a thoughtful tone, "Dancing must flow with raw emotion and ambition. You cannot allow to have yourself be held back, by either mind or body. They must synchronize to create the perfect rhythm."

She narrowed her eyes, "What?"

"And that is why you must explain or else you will obtain the wrong advice."

"You really want to know?" She straightened her form, "My imaginary partner sucks."

"Oh," He nodded in understanding, but she could see he was slightly confused. He inquired, "and why does your virtual partner… suck?"

"He just does!"

"And who is… he, exactly?"

Pacifica pursed her lips, "A random guy…?"

"Well, perhaps that is your problem," Her instructor concluded, "You should imagine yourself with someone you are more comfortable with."

"But I'm—"

"Excuse m-me, young mistress," A maid bowed as the other maids were also in line, sweating and resting on their cleaning supplies, "we are finished."

Pacifica looked up to examine the room. Just as she said, the floors were spotless, and they were glistening quite nicely. She walked over and rubbed her index finger on it, but there wasn't a smudge. The blonde hid a smile at the apparent reflection that looked back up at her. They really had worked hard to do this, and it paid off.

She stood up and dusted her hands, before turning around, "Good, you are all dismissed for a short break."

Their eyes sparkled, and one beamed, "Thank you!"

The female servants left gratefully. Her parents would've never done that, or let her do it. But they weren't here at the moment, so why not?

Pacifica steadied into her position, ready to start practicing again. She held out her arms in its usual pose and closed her eyes for a better visualization. The music started up once more, prompting her to move with it. She did so gracefully, her dress flowed behind her, and her body seemed as though it was being carried by the music itself.

Her imaginary partner wasn't unknown this time, he was familiar. She could feel as if he was here and holding her, his hands gripping hers gently and clutching her waist close, not wanting to let her go, as if she may slip away. And she was very well certain she didn't want to slip away. At the moment, she didn't want to drown herself in the pressures of expectation or succumb to the disappointment of her parents.

But she could hear his carefree laugh break her out from her daze and bring her into the moment where she was able to do as she pleased.

And as the instructor watched on, Pacifica let herself be melded into the sublime music and the sensation of true tenderness, a blissful smile never leaving her face.

* * *

 **I can bet you that everyone knows who Pacifica was imagining. His name starts with a D and ends with an -ipper. And yes, her thirteenth birthday is coming up! Oh, poor Pacifica, if only your parents would realize. Will they ever?**

 **Don't worry, Bill, we will keep your secret safe that you stuck a hole in your chest. And, oh, Bill, again?! You're going to send amazing, adorable Mabel in a coma of anxiety! Pyronica is quite a dangerous one, isn't she? I wonder how powerful or significant the others are?**

 **Dipper, I wish you good luck. And that's it.**

 **Goodbye, my lovelies!**


	29. Chapter 29

**I accidentally saw the trailer for the last episode and I couldn't stop watching. Afterwards I literally curled up and just… just done. WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY. I CAN'T RIGHT NOW. IF THE CHAPTER IS DELAYED, YOU KNOW WHY.**

 **By the way, for anyone that watches Wander Over Yonder, did you see the amazing reference to Gravity Falls at the end of The Cartoon. And cry at the end of The Bot?**

 **Tem Flaks(Guest): Hello and thank you! Oh man, coincidental that you mentioned that. I'm going to bring it up quite soon. And let's hope Bill can! ;)**

 **I finally manned up and wrote more. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls**.

* * *

 _Rubbing his hands, he stuck his tongue out and smirked. The twelve-year-old blonde let out cries as he climbed the tree diligently, ignoring as his hands gained scratches and as his clothes began to dirty. Whipping his hair to the side, he could see that he was nearly at the top. He smiled with determination and kept going._

 _The sun was beating down on him, but the breeze was relieving. Sweat formed from his continuous motion, but he made no move to wipe it off, for he may lose his grip and fall. Reaching the highest branch on the tree, he collapsed onto the wood and panted. The blonde let out a shout, "I did it!"_

 _"William," A gentle voice called out from below, earning his attention. He looked down, not letting up his high spirits, "Look, mom, I climbed this big, fat tree!"_

 _With arrogance, he kicked the trunk, as if showing who was in charge. He laughed as his mother sighed, "You could have just floated up there."_

 _"Floating won't win me battles!" He stuck his tongue out at her, "That's cowardly!"_

 _"I suppose," She spoke thoughtfully, tapping her chin, "but running away from your duties is quite cowardly, don't you think?"_

 _"N-No!" He answered, attempting to hide behind the large branch. She giggled at this, "Come along now, William. Your father is expecting you."_

 _"He is?!" In a split second, the boy was on the ground. He steadied himself, almost tripping on his feet. She stifled a chuckle as he glared at her, "I'm still getting used to it!"_

 _"I know. You'll get it down in no time, William," She said, ruffling his hair. He growled and fixed it, "You know I don't like it when you call me that, the name is too long!"_

 _He planted, "I like Bill better!"_

 _"—better—"_

 _"—better—"_

Bill awoke groggily with a dry mouth and a sore body, the tinnitus fading away. He felt like his mind was already awake and had been experiencing something else. But he couldn't remember. Although, dream-demons don't have dreams.

Looking down, he realized he was laying on a comfortable, cushiony chair. He saw his naked chest and a white fabric wrapped around his injured abdomen, and also noticed his hand was apparently interlocked with another's. The blonde found himself staring at Mabel, who was facedown and on her knees beside him, probably unconscious.

The dream-demon lifted his hand gingerly, checking if his top hat was still on his head. But it wasn't, although his eyepatch was still in place. Tipping his head back, he spotted his top hat resting on a small table. Miraculously, it still looked fine and dandy, and he stifled a sigh of relief. Yet, his bowtie was now gone, which meant he'd have to go get a new one, along with new clothes.

Directing his attention elsewhere, Bill poked the sleeping girl's crown, who twitched and rose her head with a not very appealing look. Drool ran down the side of her mouth, her eyes seemed barely alert, and her hair messily covered her face. But one more passing second made her gasp, "You're awake!"

"Really?" Bill rolled his eye. He didn't even try to get up, and just snuggled nicely into the chair. Mabel tore his hand off of his and wiped her mouth, before squealing happily. Throwing her arms around his neck, she brought him in for a hug, to which he grunted in annoyance. She buried her head into the crook of his neck, "You're awake!"

"Don't have to say it twice," Bill replied as he tried to pull away. Yet, her grip was strong, and he didn't feel like putting up a fight. Discreetly leaning into her hug, he ignored the comforting scent and touch that was Shooting Star. Mabel yawned, "I've been waiting for you to wake up."

"How long have I been out?"

"Not that long, only about a day," She released him. Warmth lingered on his body, and he tried not to greedily search for more. That would be quite rude and extremely unnerving. Mabel spoke in a contrite tone, "I didn't really know what to do when I found you, so I dragged you here."

Bill gave a once over at the room he was in and grumbled, "I'm in the Mystery Shack."

"Surprise?"

"Not a good one," He tilted his head back and closed his eye, feeling a wave of drowsiness hit him. Although, he didn't want to rest now, and especially not in a building where he was vulnerable to these people. Mabel smiled cheekily, "I mean, I got Grunkle Ford to give you a potion and Grunkle Stan to bandage you. They haven't actually harmed you at all! I think it was a good call."

"And Pine Tree?"

"He tried to draw on your face, but I stopped him," Mabel admitted. He stated, "I'll keep that in mind."

"See, the Mystery Shack is fine!"

"I just don't want to be here."

"Well, you have no choice," She poked his cheek, and he growled, albeit it didn't affect her. Mabel said flippantly, "What's so wrong being in our homey home with good ole' Mabel?"

"Literally everything."

"Aren't you a ray of sunshine," She responded sarcastically, "Come on! You're putting yellow to shame."

"I give yellow its elegance!"

"I have a hard time believing that with what you're showing me!"

Bill shrugged, much to her dissatisfaction. A few moments of silence passed, with him giving a vacant stare at the ceiling. However, he could easily detect her observing him in the corner of his eye. Mabel was unaware of his swelling pride. She must be doubting her last words. Yellow did look great on him, the brunette was probably realizing. He didn't even have to read her mind to know.

She hesitantly inquired, "What happened to you?"

He smirked, "Well, when boys reach a certain age, they—"

"Not that way!" She interrupted, flustered, "How did you get hurt so badly? And this is the second time I've seen you like this! Is it normal?"

"Normality doesn't exist."

"Well, Dipper told me about this guy with an ironic name, even though he's completely ordinary—"

"Shooting Star," Bill eyed her with an unexpectedly solemn expression, "normality is just an illusion to make everyone seem less crazy than they actually are."

"Don't say stuff like that, it hurts my head," She pouted, and his smirk returned. Mabel persisted, "I wasn't even referring to normal people the first time. Plus, you didn't answer my question!"

"What question?"

"You know which question!"

Bill wasn't very convincing with the smug grin he was expressing, "If I knew, I wouldn't have asked."

She articulated, "Why are you hurt?"

He answered straightforwardly, "You don't need to know why. It doesn't concern you."

Mabel frowned at his answer. It would be too obvious or just plain weird that she was quite anxious to know the truth behind his injury because of her… intense fondness towards him. She smoothly executed an excuse, "I'm just curious!"

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"And satisfaction brought it back to life," She added with defiance swirling in her eyes. He arched an eyebrow, "Impressive that you actually know that, but I'm still not telling you."

"Will it happen again?" She asked, her eyes softening. There she goes again, with the gentle look she gives him! What was Shooting Star trying to express? Was she even trying to show him that she was trying to express something? Either way, she was doing terrible job showing it or hiding it. Although, she was lucky that he had no clue what it was.

Her question was left unanswered as Dipper walked in. An irritated look was present on his face, along with black liquid clinging to his clothing. Bill snorted, "Someone tell the stork to take it back."

Dipper retorted immediately, "And where did you come from, exactly? The garbage?"

"The universe's nebula of infinite power," The dream-demon mocked as the two set into another glaring match. Mabel saw her brother's face and furrowed her eyebrows, "Did something happen at work?"

"Not much, just fought with some evil creatures in the forest with a class. I got this," He lifted his arm, showing the bandage that was covering his arm. She worriedly questioned, "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine," He waved her off dismissively, "that's not why I'm upset."

"You're upset because you'll never be a good Soul Fighter?" Bill assumed.

"You wanna see firsthand how good of a Soul Fighter I am?" Dipper snarled, and the dream-demon smirked, "Gladly."

"No fighting!" Mabel harshly slammed her hands down on the wood, shocking the two males into silence. A moment later, she jiggled her hands with tears glossing over her eyes, "Ow ow ow!"

"Nice, Shooting Star," Bill mentioned as Dipper sent a sympathetic look her way. She rubbed her stinging hands on her thighs, "I really need to get you guys to bond."

"No way."

"Absolutely not, Mabel."

Said girl asked, "So, what had you all grumpy?"

"Well, it's hard to work with someone who keeps avoiding you in the eye and seems to try talking even less than how they usually talk," Despite the strong dislike he held towards Bill, Dipper sat beside his sister as he explained. Mabel presumed, "Are you talking about Pacifica?"

"That would be the one."

The blonde sneered, "Maybe Llama is just getting sick of your face?"

"I think I'm about to throw up looking at yours," Dipper countered. Mabel was bewildered, "What kind of nickname is Llama?"

"Just a little inside joke," Bill clarified, "she totally hates it."

Dipper muttered, "I'm not taking my chances."

Mabel was pondering crucially as to why Pacifica was acting like her brother described, before she gasped happily, "Oh my gosh!"

"What?" The males questioned simultaneously, causing them to shoot another scowl at each other. Her eyes were twinkling as she drawled teasingly, "I think I know why."

"You might wanna explain?" Dipper suggested as she was grinning ear to ear. Mabel crossed her arms, "It may be her secret, so I won't spill. You can try guessing, though!"

"She has a new disease that makes her allergic to stupid boys with weird birthmarks?"

She spluttered, "What—?"

"How do you even know about my birthmark?!" Dipper demanded. Bill just whistled innocently, but still staring straight at him with a mischievous glint in his eye, "And get this, there is no cure. She'll forever be getting a swollen tongue and crazily swinging her head as she tries to not look at your face, or else she'll die!"

Mabel actually tried not to laugh at the visualization as Dipper hissed, "You'd know all about people and their diseases, wouldn't you? I think that everyone in town has a illness that makes them allergic to blonde misfits."

"You sure? Your sister doesn't seem like it."

Dipper smirked at Mabel's shocked face, "I'd say her symptoms are different."

She pushed her brother's face back, "Okay! That's enough guessing!"

"So you aren't telling?" Dipper claimed after swatting her hand away. She shook her head, and Bill huffed, "What a waste."

Unexpectedly, her stomach rumbled, prompting both of the boys to face her. She flushed, "I forgot to eat lunch."

"Seriously?" Dipper deadpanned, and she nodded. He sighed and got up, directing her before leaving, "Go microwave something. I need to clean up."

"Ooh, do we have chips?" She enthusiastically rose and hurried into the kitchen, leaving Bill puzzled. Mabel returned an instant later with a bag in hand, munching on the snack. As she sat down in her spot, he eyed the snack warily, "What is that?"

"These?" She rose up the bag, and he confirmed with a nod. Taking a chip out, she held it in front of him, to which he stared at its triangular shape. Mabel grinned, "These are chips! The brand is Dorotos, they make good chips. But not really good lunches; don't tell Dipper."

She furrowed her eyebrows, "Although, you don't eat, right?"

"I don't have to," He spoke plainly, still staring at the chip, "but can I hold it?"

"Hold it? Uh, sure."

Bill held the chip in his hand, gently between his fingers, afraid he may crush it. Orange dust stuck to his gloves as he turned and flipped it over, analyzing the snack. His expression was undefinable, but his eye was hypnotized.

There was just something about this baked slice of thin corn that made nostalgia course through his veins and swirl in his body. Certainly, it wasn't just the literal chip that gave him this feeling. That'd just be completely absurd. Bill laid further back, putting the chip up against the light. The glow outlined it, giving it a glorious display, almost as if it was symbolic.

She repressed a chuckle, swallowing down her chip, "Are you alright?"

He didn't even glance at her, "Yes."

"You know you need to eat that, right? Or at least let me eat it."

"I don't wanna," He said childishly, and she warned, "It'll go bad and attract bugs."

"Oh well."

"Bill," She crossed her arms, "I'm not gonna let you go around carrying a chip, you'll look ridiculous."

"Don't tell me what I can't do," He broke away from his gaze to glower at her, protectively bringing the chip beside the other side of his face. She gave him a blank look for a few moments, to which he was looking back daringly.

Abruptly, Mabel pounced him and snatched the chip from his clutches. He attempted to grab it, but his injury was infuriating. It prevented him from shifting from his position or stretching around too much. Stupid, wounded nerves! As he waved his arms that barely grazed her, she ate the chip right in his face. And as odd as the situation could get, she had never seen the blonde look so horrified and disappointed. Dusting her hands off, she rolled the bag up and fled into the kitchen to put away the chips before Bill decided to go crazier.

When Mabel reappeared, he was stubbornly faced away towards the couch. She almost shivered at how cold of a shoulder he was giving her. Mabel puffed her cheeks, hands on her hips, "It was just a chip!"

She received no response, "You don't even eat!"

Silence. The female twin restrained the urge to harm him, "Bill!"

He spoke gruffly, refusing to turn around, "How could you be so cruel?"

Insulted, she placed a hand on her chest, "Me?! Cruel?!"

He didn't respond, and she stomped her foot down, "Okay, fine!"

Mabel ran up to her room and shut the door roughly, vibrating the shack. She hopped onto her bed and did what she always did when she was upset. It wasn't long until her brother came into the room, confused as to why his sister was hiding in her sweater. Dipper walked over and poked the hidden mass of Mabel, "Hello?"

"Mabel isn't here right now, she's in Sweater Town."

"Of course she is," He remarked, "Can I know why?"

Dipper stepped back as she suddenly thrashed in her sweater, putting it on her body correctly. She was pouting angrily, "Bill's a jerk!"

"That's a given."

"I was eating chips for my lunch, and I gave him one 'cause he seemed to really want it," She described, throwing her hands up, "But then he gets all mad at me when I take it back! I'm saving his dignity!"

"When a weirdo clashes with a weirdo, run," He mumbled to himself. Shaking his head, Dipper placed a hand on her shoulder, "Maybe it was important to him somehow, and then you rip it away from him."

"Oh," She frowned, "well, I wouldn't know that!"

He shrugged, bringing up Grunkle Ford's journal to read, "Other than that, I don't think I want to get involved with this… issue."

"Deserter," She shot a glare at him, and he smiled sheepishly. Mabel paced the room, figuring out how to ask for forgiveness for… whatever she did. Maybe some more information would be needed! Before she could exit the room, he perked up, "Did you say you were eating chips for lunch?"

Mabel slowly backed away from his line of sight, "Maybe."

Making her way back down, Bill was still in the same position she left him in. She cleared her throat, "Hi, it's me, again. I've been wondering if you would like to be so nice to—"

"No."

"Why was the chip so important?!" She went straight to the point. He actually shrugged, as if not knowing why himself, "It was… triangular?"

"Is that it?" She stated, unimpressed, causing Bill to yell into the couch, "Don't try to understand it!"

"Alright, yeesh!" Mabel replied, going back upstairs. Dipper peered over his book when she entered, "You're leaving him by himself?"

"He's being too much of a sad sack to do anything. I'll create something to cheer him up!"

"Like?"

"I remember that before Gideon attacked, I was making him a sweater. So, I'm going to make him another sweater," She voiced out seriously, bringing out her materials, "with the most perfect triangle he would ever lay eyes on… I mean eye."

"And you think a sweater will make him happy after losing a Doroto chip?"

"Definitely."

"You're just giving yourself more work."

"I don't mind," She beamed as she began to knit, and he taunted, "Wow, I just found out something new about you."

"Which is?" Mabel paused to whip her head around, pausing her work. He snickered, "You have a worse case of blonde misfit disease than I thought!"

"Shush, you!"

* * *

Pacifica finished, not a single drop of perspiration evident on her skin. Her dance instructor praised, "Excellent, young mistress!"

"I think otherwise," Priscilla motioned, "Do it again."

The blonde blew out air and began rehearsing once more. As she was, her perplexed thoughts about her family's practices were irritating her more than they regularly did. It kept provoking her to question why they were so ill-mannered and haughty. I mean, it wasn't even their money! It was her great grandparents'. Honestly, she hardly knew how their business was doing recently.

Her dance was over, and her mother sighed, "That's not good enough."

A maid entered the ball room, "Madam, the Master requested your presence."

"I'll be there," She informed her. The maid bowed before leaving. Priscilla headed for the door, and ordered before making her exit, "We'll continue tomorrow."

The dance instructor spoke up, "You'll be fine, young mistress."

Pacifica straightened her form, "I know."

The blonde exited the ball room, not letting any other words be spoken. Arriving at her room, she changed into more comfortable clothes. The forest was serene, but she decided to stay within the confinements of her mansion, as ironic as it was. Pacifica had tried ignoring this sensation, but it was luring her gradually. Something in her mansion would answer her questions.

Another part of her felt like she wouldn't like it. Pacifica roamed the fancy halls filled with expensive paintings and pillars with classy vases atop. Silence was deafening to her ears, and there was a faint apprehension weighing her down. She had to think of something else.

Her birthday was coming up. What joy, since this time, she would be betrothed! Fantastic, just what she needed at thirteen years of age.

Hah, as if. She would do everything in her power to avoid marriage. If she had to be horribly rude, then so be it. It's not like they could blame her. Her parents were famous for being snobby, so she could use that as an excuse, along with her last name. Pacifica would not permit anyone to hold her hand and call them hers, not soon, maybe not ever.

Her father had said love was trivial… but what would he care to know about it?

Even though she herself barely knew anything about it. Yet, her father couldn't be right. Her parents never gave her any love that was worth feeling, they never let anyone else let her feel love, and they never even let her feel worthy enough to actually…

...love herself.

Pacifica blinked her eyes. They were damp. She had taken her mind to the wrong place. Time to try and find other things to ponder about. There were a lot of locked doors, she realized. But she fought against her rebellious notions and chose not to expose herself to the rooms. Probably just more riches and money and other items that they had to store somewhere. They might be resting against the door, awaiting an innocent victim. She preferred not to have her death by suffocation of wealth.

Pacifica noted that as she went deeper into the mansion, the light was became a lot dimmer. She found herself looking down a pathway. There was another hall, and at the end was a tall painting. It unsettled her in a way she couldn't describe, and called out to her like invisible fingers that were tickling her skin and beckoning her to come closer. The blonde did so, and was surprised to find herself closer to the painting than she had realized.

Hesitantly lifting her hand up, she touched the painting. Its texture was coarse.

Pacifica lightly pressed the painting, and it dented under her force. There was something on the other side. Oh, she was sick of this heavy suspense!

The painting gave into her strength easier than she imagined. There was a rip, and the blonde landed on the floor, her hair flying in front of her face. She brushed her hair to the side and looked up. Pacifica yelped and backed up against the wall. There was a figure in front of her, yet it didn't move. She calmed down when she registered it must be only another painting.

She hastily searched for a light switch, but there was none. In her frantic movement, Pacifica had slipped on an object and fell onto her back. She looked over to see that it was a flashlight. The blonde took it quickly and turned it on, hitting it against her palm a few times when it wouldn't light up. It flickered, before stabilizing, and she found herself staring at the painting.

A few paintings.

Her family cheating for money, lying for money, and hurting people for money. All of it was recorded by paint.

It was unbelievable how little astonishment she felt. Maybe she felt so much, it was numbing her. Although, she recognized that she was immensely petrified. Pacifica couldn't tear her gaze off of the paintings, and she could slowly feel something incredibly negative grow inside of her. This… this was really right in front of her. It was mocking her, it was slapping her right in the face.

The flashlight clattered to the ground, flickering off.

Pacifica summoned her sword, the light revealing her enraged expression for a split second.

Just as she was about to slice away at these pictures, footsteps were heard outside. She forced her weapon away and left the room with a neutral look. What other things was her family hiding, she wondered? She almost rounded another dark corner, one that had an even stronger atmosphere than the room she left, when the ringing of the bell instantly halted her. The ringing was distinct; it couldn't be mistaken as any other.

"Pacifica, what do you think you're doing?" Her father was behind her, anticipating her answer. She fully faced him, gritting her teeth, "Just strolling around the house."

"Don't be so foolish, time is money!" Preston gestured, "Why don't you take this opportunity to focus on your Northwest duties?"

"I suppose," She spoke, itching to check out what was behind the corner, "but I think I actually may have left something of mine in there."

"You think you can lie directly to my face?" He spat, "No one goes here, not even the servants. Get out of here this instant!"

"Why?" She challenged, her heel digging into the floor. He ordered, "Don't interrogate, just do as you're told!"

Pacifica sent an unwavering look his way, before whirling herself around. The ringing reached her ears, freezing her in place once more. Preston affirmed, "I forbid you."

She tried to evade the noise, squeezing her eyes and tensing her shoulders. But she couldn't muster her strength to cover her ears. The ringing continued, and the darkness from her lack of eyesight provided her with clear replays of her dreadful younger days. Pacifica broke away and turned back to him, "Okay! J-Just stop the bell! I won't go!"

"Good," He watched as she dragged her feet past him, and didn't budge until she was back into the main halls. Preston took a final look down the other way, before leaving himself.

She has faced a lot of evil, but why did her own parents, her own entire family, have to be included? It actually hurt to think of them as evil, yet isn't that what define their actions? However, she remembered what her mother had told her. They had only wanted to make life easier. Although, how was torturing her into doing what they wanted supposed to make anything easier? How was mistreating people make anything better?! Riches were the answer to everything; was that what they wanted to teach her?!

Her family was just a huge lie!

She hated their lesson!

She hated her family tree!

And she was the most regretful to say, she hated her parents.

Despite everything she forced herself to apprehend, she refused to shed a tear. No, she promised herself that crying was what she did when she was a child. Where she was berated relentlessly for her lack of perfection, and where her hands turned red from being hit as punishment. Where the bell was the only sound that reminded her that she was still in reality.

And look where all of that landed her. She became someone entirely different from what they desired. They could use her as a doll, show her off all they wanted. She would follow their useless demands. Although, being married was excluded. However, she didn't care what they did for themselves. Pacifica could lie and brag as much as they needed her to about how proud she was to be a Northwest. It will never be genuine. Her father, mother, and all of her relatives were just the personification of despicable.

So, what did that make of her?

Gravity Falls was all she had left, now. It was her home, her honor, her life's achievement, and she wouldn't let _anyone_ take that away from her.

Unbeknownst to her, Pacifica would have to prepare to live up to that resolution.

In the Nightmare Realm, a dark castle that was in ruins, barely stood on its own. Adrian leaned back in his chair and swung his leg over the other, his smile holding a little bit more of a roguish curve, "My dear, what's gotten you so sad?"

Pyronica slumped over the table, placing a hand over her nonexistent heart, "Oh, my lord, Bill left me before I could finish beating him up."

"Bill Cipher? Man, that guy hangs around more in the Earth plane than here, now. I haven't been able to mess with him," 8-Ball remarked, sitting straight in his own seat. Adrian sighed, "Ah, yes. The little, permanent human-lookalike that everyone couldn't care less about. So, let's not have a discussion about him."

"Yeah, why did you call us here, my lord?" Keyhole said as he rested his legs on the table. Paci-Fire was munching on an eye-bat, along with Hectorogon and Kryptos. The two demons were shaped as… shapes, and a bit lesser in their power and hierarchy. Adrian clapped his hands, and the room lit to an ominous glow of a dark violet. Suddenly, the middle of the table emitted a bright, blue hologram of Earth.

"I decided," Adrian spoke, regaining their attention, "that we will begin to take over the Earth realm."

Excited gasps and murmurs arose, with Pyronica cheering, "The rumors were true!"

"You will all be my main accomplices to assisting me in becoming the overlord of both realms. I'll have everyone know of our plan to build ourselves an army," Adrian declared, yet his tone was still light, "Of course, with all the pesky Soul Fighters, this won't be a short process."

His smile was captivating, "However, we will eliminate every single one."

"My lord, how will we get into the Earth realm?" 8-Ball brought up, which prompted Adrian to maneuver his fingers in the air, which controlled the hologram from a distance. It zoomed in at a small, hick town. He elaborated, "This is where the boundaries of our two worlds tear up the most, before repairing itself again. The name of the town is Gravity Falls. I can send small platoons that will fight and send back information."

Adrian expression barely changed, "Unfortunately, I'm still figuring out what makes these sprouts and how I'll keep one open so all of us can invade."

He droned on, "I shall stay back and command, only fighting when the time is right."

Keyhole piped up, "Doesn't Gravity Falls have its own Soul Fighters academy and this strong headmaster? Not to mention the rest of the world."

"No worries," Adrian soothed, "Gravity Falls is simply where we begin."

He stood up from his chair, his smile stretched a little farther. His stature wasn't intimidating, but his face bore sinister intent and his aura reeked of malevolence. He manipulated the hologram to shift into another display. An image of a young female replaced the town. Her hair was long and her sword was taut in her hands. The rest of the demons were confused. Pyronica spat, "And who is she?"

"That is Pacifica Northwest, the headmistress of the Gravity Falls academy. Now that you know how she looks like, I expect you to prepare to potentially engage combat with her," Adrian instructed, "She isn't mediocre, so do not underestimate her. That would be certain, foolish death."

He gestured, "We take her down first, then can take down the rest. Or, she will slowly deteriorate as we kill her students one by one. Humans are such fragile, idiotic creatures."

He gently chuckled into his hand, prompting others to laugh along. Yet, he abruptly stopped and declared disturbingly, "Either way, we will start off in Gravity Falls, and _**destroy the headmistress**_."

Loud cackling and whoops could be heard throughout the barren wasteland as Adrian sat back in his seat, used to the rumbling and noise. Oh, the joy that would come when he will watch as his plan was being set into action, and the day it would succeed.

* * *

 **DON'T CHOKE, I KNOW IT'S A LOT! And don't hate me too much!**

 **My poor, poor Pacifica.**

 **I can't because I imagine young Bill and then what happens excuse me for a moment—**

 **The story is unraveling slowly. In fact, it's barely begun! And to make sure I exactly what the plot and the background information is, I wrote it down on paper! And it is not organized, at all. I was just smiling like an idiot and crying like an idiot as I wrote out the story, kind of. Basically, I know the general basics of how the story will turn out, as I should. But of course, I may think of something to add, so be ready!**

 **Ahh! I'm just super excited! Are you?**


	30. Chapter 30

**I watched Between the Pines and I cried.**

 **I'M NOT READY.**

 **I'M NOT READY.**

 **I'M NOT READY.**

 **I DIDN'T EVEN FREAKING REALIZE IT WAS COMING SO SOON AND WHEN I WAS INFORMED I ALMOST CRIED IN PUBLIC.**

 **Anyways, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

"You see, the horns are just large, pointed, protruding bones that are covered in keratinized skin. So slicing them," Dipper paused to summon his sword. Within a moment, there was a ghastly cry of pain, and he continued, "will hurt."

Dipper mocked an apologetic pat on the evil creature that was currently tied up. It squirmed and yapped, making distorted garbles of noises. He explained, "The pain won't kill them, but it will only throw them off focus."

The class gave their own sounds of understanding. He prompted, "Any questions?"

A dark-skinned boy inquired with his hand in the air, "What is keratinized skin?"

"Oh," Dipper gestured, "the textbook definition isn't important, but it just protects the core, which is the bone."

A girl raised her hand eagerly. He pointed to her, and she proclaimed, "You're cute."

Well, that was unexpected. A light blush dusted his face as the class whooped at her blunt declaration. But then, she smirked, "For a nerd."

Ah, that was more like it. She received high fives from her friends while others laughed at her taunting. He rolled his eyes, and the teacher clapped her hands loudly, gaining everyone's attention, "That's enough! Time to go back!"

The class whined as they all stood up lazily and began to trudge back to the academy through the thick forest. The teacher turned back to Dipper, "I apologize for her behavior."

"No problem," He shrugged, "Go on ahead, I'll take care of this."

He indicated to the monster that was still struggling to break free. She nodded, before following after her class, disappearing into the cover of the woods. Dipper faced the creature and fixed the grip he had on his sword. It was light as usual, it reflected him clearly, and he wielded it as though he's had it his entire life.

He killed the creature within moments, then jumped back to avoid the black blood that spurted out. The dark being disappeared almost instantly. Dipper forced his sword away and turned around to also start making his way back to the academy. The crunching of leaves underneath his feet reached his ears. The sun pierced through gaps in the trees' leaves.

It was odd how during the fight against Giffany, his memories began to bother him again. To the point where it even weighed his weapon down. He never had gotten the chance to wonder why. With Gideon, that hadn't happened. Maybe the fire that ate away at their surroundings triggered something. Grunkle Ford informed him a while ago that he couldn't summon his weapon because he was traumatized by his parents dying. But he was over that; he had already decided that he'd become strong enough to protect Mabel, now his grunkles, and even Gravity Falls. Was there still something that held him back?

However, he'd become strong, no matter what, and he'd become one of the greatest. Where he could be someone that is respected even when they may not ever meet him in person. That when people hear about him and fight him, they expect a good challenge. That was another one of his goals, now either by academy or his family.

"Ouch!" Zoned out, Dipper collided with a wall. When did he reach the academy? Although, he realized that what he bumped into was not quite an actual wall. It was another creature, yet it held no malicious intent. From the looks of it, it was a male, very tall, surrounded by flies, and a… manotaur?

He's read about them in Ford's journals. They were probably the manliest creatures to ever roam the Earth. They did various manly things, to which no one could survive to tell the tale because they were forced to do it as well, in an extreme manner. Luckily, Grunkle Ford was insanely experienced with the supernatural and made it out alive, anyways.

"You," The manotaur breathed, and Dipper gagged mentally as he had accidentally inhaled it. He chuckled nervously, "Uh, me?"

The manotaur jabbed him in the chest, and Dipper winced, "What the heck, man?"

"I can smell your hidden strength, why won't you let it show?" He asked. The brunette rubbed the back of his head, confused, "I don't know what your talking about, but I think I'm good, thanks?"

"No, not good!" The manotaur stomped, rattling the ground beneath them. Dipper panicked, "Whoa, whoa, okay buddy! Not good, I get it."

The pine trees blew back from the creature's bellow, "Show me!"

"I can't?!" Dipper squeaked, falling to his back. The creature stopped and nodded, "I see, you require help to show off your greater strength, your manliness."

"I think I'm pretty manly," Dipper mumbled, trying to inch away by using his elbows. He yelped as he was suddenly lifted off the ground. The manotaur held him by his leg and introduced himself, "I am Chutzpar, and I can show you a whole new world of manliness!"

Dipper grinned. An adventure with a magical beast to an even more phenomenal place?! He's always read about mystical creatures in Ford's journal, but now he can hang out with one and their home in person! However, his smile faltered, "I can't right now. Can we go later?"

Chutzpar shook his head, "I have manly things to attend to later. You are not one of them. Take my offer now or leave it."

Dipper ignored the blood rushing to his head, "What if if I summon you with something manly?"

"Like what?"

Think, Dipper, think! He suggested, "Grilling?"

"GRILLING!" Chutzpar dropped the boy, whose vision was slightly tilting and couldn't get on his feet. The manotaur uprooted a tree and swung it somewhere far away, much to Dipper's amazement. The manotaur huffed, "I will come to you by the smell of raw meat, but you must get at least 200 pounds."

Dipper choked, "Two hundred pounds?!"

"We will feast tonight as your initiation when you provide us with the meat for grilling."

"Who is we?!"

"We are manotaurs!" Chutzpar roared, scaring flocks of birds and the other woodland creatures, while pounding his chest. He stopped abruptly to look down at the male twin. Dipper was holding his hat in place as his hair was stuck upwards, his face was a mixture of awe and pain, and he blinked. The manotaur bore his gross teeth with a smile, "We shall see you tonight!"

Dipper cupped his ear, "What?!"

Chutzpar guffawed and slapped the boy's back, causing him to ram his face into the dirt. The manotaur sprinted away, snapping branches and destroying rocks in his path. Dipper hoisted himself up with his hands, and gazed at the direction of where the manotaur had ran in. He shook the dirt out of his hair and brushed off the rest that clung to his face. A goofy, impressed smile was evident.

Although, that disappeared once he returned to the academy. It was already dismissal by the time he arrived, and his headmistress was waiting behind the school. She didn't look happy, but when he thought about it, she never looks happy anymore. Since when was the last time he's seen her smile? Pacifica growled at him, "Where have you been?"

"With a manotaur," He replied nonchalantly, and she prodded him in the chest, to which he complained, "Again?"

Pacifica disregarded his displeasure and continued to poke him in the chest as she emphasized her words, "You don't get _paid_ to slack off with some _mythical creature_ and ignore your _duties!_ "

She was already too close for comfort, leaning close to his face as he leaned back. But his pride was getting in the way of his embarrassment. Dipper glared, "For your information, he offered me to go with him, but I refused because I knew I had to come back!"

Pacifica stood normally, "Why would he want you to go with him?"

"Something or other, but he did want to teach me how to reveal more of my manliness!" Dipper smirked, puffing up his chest. Her eye twitched, "As if you had any to show in the first place."

"Thanks for noticing, but you should've seen him," He sighed, "That beast had some pretty extraordinary strength, vibrating the ground and blowing out my eardrums."

Pacifica folded her arms, "That isn't real strength."

"Oh, right, true strength is being bossy and cruel all the time, right?" He retorted, and she remarked, "No, but it gets the job done."

"So, what is it then, oh wise one?"

"I thought you would be able to tell me, since you're the smarter one here, are you not?" She smirked back and didn't let him reply, "Actually, your assignment will be to find out and tell me what true strength is. And if I don't deem your answer satisfactory, then you'll be put on critical probation, possibly fired."

"That's not fair! You don't think anything is good enough!"

She held him by the shoulder and gave a sickeningly sweet smile, "Then your answer can be the first."

Pacifica looked up, "Time for you to get out of here. Think fast."

"What—?"

Suddenly grabbing his shirt, she spun him around before launching him over the school with her soul essence to help. He cut off his scream and quickly did a somersault in the air to land safely on the ground. Turning around, he saw that he was at the entrance of the academy, the complete opposite side of the building from where he had stood next to Pacifica. Grunkle Ford was just leaving the building when his grandnephew appeared next to him. He was staring at him with wide eyes, "Where did you come from?"

"Uh, let's just go home," Dipper began walking forward, but he turned back to his grunkle, "Wait, I have to make a stop at the grocery."

"I'll come with since we're running out of food," Ford said as the two strode towards the grocery. Entering the building, they saw the aisles of collections of food, sorted by category of fresh, sealed, or frozen. Citizens were thoughtfully paying attention to the shelves, not giving the two any glances. The older man grabbed a cart while Dipper grabbed his own. Ford arched an eyebrow, "We can just share one."

"I don't think so," Dipper replied sheepishly, "Let's meet up at the cash registers."

The brunette casually strolled along the containers full of pork, beef, chicken, and other various meats. He picked all of them up, not caring what he took. Bystanders watched as he grouped and weighed the meat on the scale, and he tried not to feel too anxious. Dipper returned what he didn't need and exited the section. Pushing the cart with a bit more effort, he arrived at the cash register and waited for his grunkle. When Ford returned with his own groceries, his jaw dropped, "Why do you need all of that?!"

"I wanna hang out with manotaurs."

"Manotaurs?!"

"Sir, that will be around $800," The cashier told him boredly. Dipper frowned, that's his entire pay that he had earned from work plus more! He turned to his grunkle with a cheeky smile, "Can you help me pay?"

"Dipper, why didn't we talk about this before you decided to stack up on meat?"

"I was excited!"

"You're holding up the line," The cashier remarked, still monotonously. There were indeed others that were waiting behind them. Dipper glowered, "Why not just open up all the cash registers? I mean really!"

"Dipper—"

"Grunkle Ford, please? I always read your journal and now I want to see it for myself!" His eyes were twinkling as he looked up to his great uncle like a young child. For the first time, Ford felt as though he was talking to a naive, little boy, rather than his smart, mature grandnephew. He combed his grey hair with his fingers, "Alright, but when we get home, we're talking about this."

Dipper gave a whoop as they both paid for their groceries. He hauled the bags of meat as Ford sighed at his determination. Soon enough, they were at the Mystery Shack, and Grunkle Stan was reading newspaper outside on the porch. Ford addressed, "Stanley, how's Mabel and Cipher?"

"Fine enough," He replied gruffly. His twin nodded, "Well, yes, I'd like to speak to you about that later."

Dipper greeted, "Hey Grunkle Stan, what're you doing out here?"

"What? Is old men out in the open a crime?"

"It shouldn't be, or Grunkle Ford would be arrested," Dipper responded. Stan flipped a page, "Good, I don't need another case on my record."

"I didn't think you cared."

"I don't seem to care about a lot of things, kid. It helps with not having to help."

"Well, care now," Ford informed, "We have to go inside and talk with Dipper here."

Dipper blew a raspberry, before entering the building with his grunkles. He announced, "I'm home!"

The three males were beyond surprised to find Mabel hanging onto Bill's leg like a monkey as he floated above the floor and close to the ceiling. He appeared unperturbed, even with the injury still present, while holding a bag of what seemed to be Doroto chips. The two looked down at the males, who were looking up at them with a vacant stare. Dipper deadpanned, "Do I want to ask?"

"Well, you see—" Mabel started to elaborate, but her brother shouted, "At least come down first!"

"Oh, right," She dropped to the floorboards with a thud, much to her family's worry. She stood up and dusted herself off, "I was trying to get back our Dorotos bag."

"Why?"

"I was hungry!"

"Can't you eat something other than junk food?!"

"That's crazy! You're cray-cray!" She waved him off, "Anyways, now he won't come down."

"She'll just take the bag away," Bill claimed. Stan's eye twitched, "Aren't you injured?"

"I'm making exceptions for the pain," The dream-demon avowed as he still held the bag of Doroto chips close. Ford scrutinized him, "Why for a bag of chips?"

"You're too simple-minded to comprehend."

"Stanford? Simple-minded? That's a new way to look at him," Stan snickered. Bill objected, "Not to me!"

Dipper groaned, "I don't have time to deal with this. I have to get ready to hang out with manotaurs."

"Manotaurs? What are those?" Mabel questioned. Before anyone else could answer first, the blonde snorted, "Cows on steroids."

Mabel furrowed her eyebrows, "Bro-bro, why would you want to hang out with drugged cows?"

"I am not hanging out with drugged cows!" He planted, and Bill mocked, "Right, you're going to be drugged while hanging around normal cows."

He looked towards Mabel, "If I were you, Shooting Star, I think I might get him some help."

Ford had the most tedious expression to ever be produced as Stan piped up, joining in on the joke, "We're always here for you, kid."

"Dipper, why didn't you tell us sooner?" She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he whacked it off, "I'm not doing drugs! I'm not hanging around cows that do drugs! It's manotaurs, the manliest creatures to ever live!"

"Right," Ford said, pinching his nose bridge, "and that brings us to the details of the topic. My boy, they are quite friendly creatures, and they can make you feel like a man, but there is one you shouldn't mess with."

Bill jeered as he floated freely, "I wouldn't want to hang out with them, though. Their 'manly' stench can suffocate a person, but I can't die."

Unexpectedly, Dipper ran out of the room and into the shop. He returned with a grappling hook, and aimed it at Bill. Before his family or the dream-demon could react, the male twin let out a yelp as he pulled the trigger and the hook shot out. The rope wrapped around the blonde's body, causing him to drop the bag of Dorotos. Dipper yanked him down to the floor. Bill spat, now in more pain, "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Oh my gosh, why didn't I think of that?" Mabel commented. Stan picked up the bag and returned the chips back into the kitchen, before coming back into the room. Dipper gave a mischievous grin, "I can drag him to the manotaurs and torture him."

"I told you he needs help, Shooting Star!" Bill writhed, "Mental help!"

"Ooh, can I come?" Mabel beamed, to which the male twin shrugged, "I don't see why not."

"That's because you are an ignorant meatsack," Bill scowled. Ford told her, "As much as I hate to agree, you can't go. Manotaurs don't like girly things, like girls."

"I'm sure I can open up some minds," She contended, not allowing Ford to further argue, "Can I hold that grappling hook, Dipper? I feel a beckoning."

"Release me!"

"If you want to," Dipper handed the grappling gun to his sister, who was eyeing it curiously. He pleaded, "Please don't make me regret my decision."

"What does this button do?" Mabel pressed the unknown button on the device, and the rope unraveled around Bill and retracted back into the gun. He gloated, "I'm free!"

"I was already regretting my decision."

"I think I'll keep this."

"Definitely regretting."

Bill decided to continue to glide down and resume resting on the couch, and Stan asked, "Why haven't we kicked him out yet?"

Mabel protested, "He's still healing! And he might be attacked again."

"I don't have much of a problem with that," Dipper uttered. Ford also agreed, "Me neither."

"I'm fine with it," Stan voiced. She pouted cutely, and all of them couldn't muster up the hatred to kick the blonde out. She was just too cute to change her face into a sad expression! Bill, on the other hand, was puzzled, "Is there something on her face?"

"Alright, no kicking out, yet," Stan declared, earning their focus, "Anyways, I actually journeyed with Ford to see the manotaurs. It was fun, we did stuff like foosball, shaving, other things, until their leader came."

"Leader?" Dipper furrowed his eyebrows, and Ford clarified, "Yep, his name is Leaderaur."

"Leaderaur?"

"Leaderaur," Stan confirmed. Bill added, "It's a stupid name."

"You're stupid," Dipper directed at him, to which the dream-demon uncaringly turned his head to him, "You're stupid."

"Back to the topic," Ford cleared his throat, "Leaderaur is a swirling mass of dark energy and hormones. He isn't bad per se, but he doesn't take lack of manliness lightly. Luckily, he rarely hangs around his manotaur tribe."

"When we met him, he deemed us not manly, and chased us out," Stan had a conflicted expression as he placed a hand over his heart, "It hurt."

"I can see why," Bill taunted, and suddenly Ford was restraining Stan from running over and throwing him out of the shack. Mabel shot a glare at the blonde, "Bill, play nice! They are doing a lot for me by keeping you here, can't you try to do the same? At least by a little bit?"

"Since when do I listen—" His first mistake was accidentally looking into her teary, sparkling, pleading eyes. His second mistake was actually stopping himself from speaking. And his third mistake was not tearing away from her gaze. Dipper and the grunkles watched as Bill slowly closed his mouth and turned away with a frustrated huff. Stan was beyond bewildered while Ford facepalmed.

She sent a smirk Dipper's way, who only returned it with a cock of the eyebrow, and used his eyes to motion to the grunkles who had been observing the scene attentively. To her misfortune, her face became red as a tomato when she realized that she had just berated Bill, and he actually listened! Right in front of her great uncles!

"Anyways!" She shrieked, causing everyone in the room to break away from their trance. Her voice wavered, "S-So I can't go?"

"Um, yes, I'm sorry, dear. It's too dangerous. I can only visualize what would happen if Leaderaur were to meet a female," Ford said apologetically, but Mabel threw her hands up with an all-too understanding tone, "Aw, that's too bad! I guess I should go upstairs and lock myself up!"

"Why would you do that?" Stan inquired as she frantically waved her hands around, "I'm a teen now! I get angsty!"

Dipper gave a lopsided grin, "You just turned thirteen a few months ago."

"So did you! And girls mature faster than boys!" Mabel ran upstairs with obvious fake sobbing and slammed the door behind her. She could feel the heat coming off of her face, so she fanned it repeatedly. Taking the incomplete sweater, she began to resume knitting it hastily, but still professionally to not make any mistakes.

She was not thinking about Bill, she was not thinking about Bill, then why in the world was she knitting this sweater?! It was for him! But why did he listen to her in the first place? Was her adorableness more powerful than she thought? She didn't even want to imagine what her great uncles were thinking.

Shoot, she just did!

Downstairs, all the males were engulfed in pregnant silence. Ford tapped his thigh as Stan coughed a few times. Bill made no move to interact or leave. Dipper scratched the back of his head and pointed to the stairs, "I should go comfort her."

"Yeah, you do that," Stan permitted, and Dipper hurriedly retreated to the upstairs and into his and Mabel's room. As soon as he was gone, Ford and Stan whipped their heads to the blonde, stalking closer to his impotent back. Bill turned his head just in time to look at them over his shoulder, "What?"

"Listen here, you little hooligan," Stan hissed, sticking his finger in the dream-demon's face, "whatever intent you have with our grandniece, you better leave it where you can never find it."

"You might want to check yourself in a retirement home, Fez," Bill snarled, "I have no idea what you're going on about."

"You think you can fool me?"

"You're a fool in itself," The dream-demon opposed. Ford took a moment to look in Bill's eye, who was inwardly becoming more uncomfortable.

"Of course you don't know, you're denser than osmium," The scientist heaved as he sat back, "He's clean, Stanley."

Bill was absolutely baffled at their current states. He knew they were crippling with old age! Stan spluttered as he also collapsed onto his behind, "You're kidding."

"I really, really wish."

"Oh no, then that means Mabel—"

Ford inhaled deeply as he closed his eyes, "Yes."

"And she—"

"Yes."

"But he—"

"Yes, Stanley, goodness!" Ford put both of his hands on his face as his twin sat on his knees, clawing his own face in horror, "No… no… NO—"

"You left him with them?!" Mabel's voice rang out. Her rapid treading could be heard until she appeared at the doorway of the room. Her grunkles were both staring at her with a glint in their eyes that she couldn't distinguish, and Bill never appeared more awkward. He was visibly perplexed and his shoulders were tense, "I told you I didn't want to be here."

"What happened?" Dipper stopped to stand beside his sister. Stan commanded, "Dipper, take your meat and go. We're going to have a talk with your sister."

She slightly whimpered, provoking her brother to stand defensively in front of her, "Hey, if it's something important, then I'll stay too."

"No, she needs to be the one to talk to us," Ford affirmed. Dipper had an indistinct idea as to what they were going to talk to her about. Bill sneered, an undefined vexation residing in his chest, "I didn't take you two for abusers."

"As if we'd even think about that," Stan looked Dipper in the eyes, "We won't do anything bad to her, and you know that. Just talking, okay?"

Of course he knew they wouldn't dare lay a finger on her if it meant to cause harm. But his sister wasn't the one to handle things like this by herself. Confrontation wasn't one of her assets, she was afraid to face the truth of things. Despite their deviations of strengths and weaknesses, they would always stick together through the bad and good times, no matter what. If she needed him for at least moral support, he'd be there.

Alas, Mabel squeezed her eyes. They must have discovered that Bill may not be as good as she believed, or worse: they figured out her secret. This was selfish thinking, nevertheless. Their great uncles was their family, they deserved to have an opinion on her beliefs or know what she may be hiding, even if she didn't want them to uncover so soon. Even though they may influence her judgement, she'd still advocate for her own beliefs. Mabel peeked over her brother's shoulder, "Okay…"

"Mabel..." Dipper grimaced, but she shook her head, "There's some things you can't protect me from."

"We'll see you later, my boy, be wary," Ford arose, bringing Stan with him. He soothed, "Come now, dear."

"Have fun Dipper!" She smiled at him, and he could barely smile back as she was pulled away to Ford's room. His eyes softened, "I wish you could, too."

Bill yawned, "What just happened?"

"You wouldn't understand," Dipper grumbled as he took the meat and lugged it outside. He went back into the room with his sword in hand, and the blonde scoffed, "You're gonna start a battle with a weakened foe?"

"No, just a warning," Dipper pointed his sword at his cheek, "Take me seriously or not, but don't even try to listen in on what they are about to discuss."

Bill glared back at the brunette's intense glare, "What's stopping me?"

He yelped when a cut was created on his cheek, "The hell?!"

"Just a warning, remember?" Dipper forced his sword away. The blonde slid his finger across his cheek. It stung annoyingly, but it didn't bleed. His eye narrowed, "Remember who you're messing with, kid."

"When it comes to my sister, I don't really care," Dipper retaliated, before shutting the door behind him as he walked off into the woods with bags of raw meat.

* * *

"Good news, everyone we have invited is coming!" Preston applauded, cueing everyone to also clap. Pacifica did so as well, but in a mundane demeanor. Her father avowed, "All the servants will be on their best behavior and work ethic."

Priscilla demanded, "What are you all standing around for? Get the laundry going, clean your uniforms, clean the mansion, make everything look spick and span! The party is only in less than a few days, and we haven't even decorated yet!"

The servants gave alarmed peeps as they exited the main room. The mistress looked to her daughter, "Have you eaten yet? You need to keep your shape! You can't be too skinny or too fat!"

"No, mother."

"Go now," Preston ordered, "your mother and I have business to handle."

Her parents also departed from the main room, off to manage who knows what. The blonde proceeded to the dining room. A maid came in to serve her the expensive platter of food, and bowed before withdrawing. Pacifica poked at it, not interested in eating. The extended dinner table was empty, with only her seated. Resting her cheek on her palm, her expression was blank.

True strength, huh?

Recently, she had a feeling that the mansion was still calling out to her, but she didn't want to expose herself to anymore that her family had done in the past. Although, there was something else that distracted her.

She shivered at the sudden sensation. Why was it still cold in March?

Pacifica rose from her seat and crept over to the large window. The moon was barely full, the light provided little to no visibility. However, she could still detect that there was something off tonight. It coursed through the scar on her back, sending her reeling. She held herself together, clutching at her arms.

A rise in dark energy levels, perhaps? It felt like… it was coming towards her.

Pacifica regained her composure and swiftly dodged the whip that crashed through the window. Fragments of glass shards skimmed across her hands and arms as she guarded herself. Jerking her head up, she saw a faint, pink light from afar. No, whoever or whatever it was, they can't ruin the mansion, her parents would be enraged and take it out on her!

Jumping out the window in only her nightgown, she ignored the pricking on her feet and the chill of the night. Her stomach ached from the lack of nutrition and her eyes squinted to make out the objects in the lack of light. The headmistress summoned her sword and icily scowled at the pink human-looking figure. She was grinning menacingly at her, "Feel honored that I took the opportunity to jump in this stupid realm for you. You must be the Northwest."

Oh, how she hated that she was. Pacifica clenched her fists tighter, "You must not get a lot of admirers."

"Assumptions aren't good for you, don't you know?" The demon twirled with her whip, "I'm Pyronica, pretty famous."

"Never heard of you."

A tick mark popped on Pyronica's head, "You would be cowering in fear if you knew me."

"I know you now," Pacifica ridiculed, "and I'm still not shaking."

She deflected the fireball that was fired at her. Pyronica was practically exhaling smoke, "You talk too big for an insolent human."

"Then maybe, we should stop talking," Pacifica lowered her eyelids, "and start fighting."

What a bad time for this demon to combat her. A searing hate for her parents was unresolved. This will be a great opportunity to release it.

Pacifica hopped in the air, positioning her sword to strike. Pyronica only dodged her attack and retaliated with a punch to the blonde's face. Forcing her sword away, the headmistress sidestepped, gripping the demon's arm and yanking her closer so that she would be able to deliver her own punch to her gut.

Pyronica sprung slightly off the ground to use both her legs to kick. The younger girl leaped onto her hands to evade the assault and brought up her own foot to strike the demon. Taking the chance to grab her, Pyronica hurled her out of the mansion's grounds, not that Pacifica minded. It would just be less to worry about.

Landing upright, she flinched at how her feet skidded across the rocks and dirt. A fiery, pink whip abruptly bursted out from the dark and grazed her side, singing her nightgown. The chilly breeze brushed by her vulnerable skin, but she paid no mind to it. Pyronica bounded after her whip and posed a kick downwards. Eluding her attack, the ground cracked into large pieces and reverberated.

Pacifica whirled her head around to make sure that there was no one nearby. Sure enough, the area was unoccupied.

Pyronica placed a hand on her hip, "What's wrong? Why don't you use your sword?"

"Why don't you fight more seriously?" Pacifica discerned, "You aren't here to kill me, are you?"

"Ugh, you're going to be a stubborn one," The demon curled her plump lips, "Not yet, that is. Simply an evaluation. Too bad you didn't demonstrate more."

Pacifica shuddered discreetly, there was another surge in the distance. Pyronica took a moment to briefly look in the direction of the forest. She drew in her whip, and gave a deriding salute, "The next time you see us may be a while, unfortunately. Ciao."

Us? Who was us? And who exactly was she?

The pink creature vaulted away, out of sight faster than Pacifica could blink. The blonde felt her breath catch in her throat. If that was how fast the demon could move, then how hard could she attack? There were also others after her, too, as taken from the demon's words. Would she be able to fend all of them off from Gravity Falls?

Pacifica limply hung her hands at her side, the wind danced along her skin and flowed through her hair. A pang of epiphany centered in her chest.

How strong was she herself, really?

* * *

 **I just love intense Dipper and the twins' siblingship and Pines family love. I wonder how the talk will go? And how did they know so easily? Poor Bill, caught up in the midst of it.**

 **Good luck, Mabel. Good luck, Dipper. And what of our blonde heiress?**

 **Until next time!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Hello, everyone. So, how are you?**

 **Everything I wanted to put up here was moved to the end author's note.**

 **My reaction to the finale down below. Of course, I cried.**

* * *

 **I really don't like that Wendy took Dipper's hat. I'm sorry, that hat is Dipper's. It signifies him. I don't really mind the Wendip stuff I guess, but not the hat, man. :/**

 **Bill can sing and play piano.**

 **I love that scene where Grunkle Stan is burning with Bill. It was so freaking meaningful. Like, I don't know, I can barely explain it. But that's where Stan had always been, it's where we always saw him, and it broke my heart to watch it burn away.**

 **I dislike the amount of Mabcifica there seemed to be. It's not because of the ship in itself, it's just that it had more. Holding hands (even though it was necessary, did you see that zoom up?), the more in depth sweater gifting (I mean I know it was the Llama), and just more interaction in general! Like under normal circumstances, I wouldn't mind it. But here's the thing: I'm Dipifica, of course. I would have loved that they evened out the last episode ever to exist with its shipping properties with some Dipifica too. There was nothing. I'm disappointed.**

 **I am disappointed of the lack of Dipifica, although I know that was the last thing in the creator's mind when he made the last episode.**

 **Thankfully, I was really, really engrossed with the Pines family story and conflict and love, so I kind've just abandoned all my shipping hope.**

 **I did like how Bill says "Don't toy with me, Shooting Star!"**

 **I love the nickname, seriously.**

 **All in all, I loved the ending because of its satisfaction and that it's centered around Pines family instead of, you know, pushing romantic subplot. I'm sorry I just really wanted some kind of Dipifica interaction but goodness gracious there was none!**

 **But I love love love that the Stans twins finally are good with each other again. I loved Pines family resolution.**

 **edited: 8/05/17**

* * *

 **Thank you, Alex.**

 **I'm probably nonexistent, but I must pull through. I must keep going until I can make an amazing finish like the show, which will probably be a long while.**

 **aerizel: Hello, former Domination! Ah, yes, I don't think I'd need mine either.**

 **Guest: Accumulating action are always fun :)**

 **QueenLlama: That means so much to me, tbh, it really does.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

Mabel sat on her Grunkle Ford's bed as her great uncles sat on the floor. They stared up at her expectantly, eyes searching through the lens of their glasses. Heavy apprehension was weighing all of them down. She could feel sweat bullet down her face and that she couldn't breathe. Her vision was getting blurrier, her family's figures were becoming blotches in her eyes. Probably because she was holding in her breath.

Ford stood up to pat her on the back. She snapped out of her anxious state, gasping for air. He sighed and rubbed her back soothingly, "My dear, we're here to talk, not watch yourself be suffocated."

"Are you sure that isn't the same thing?" Mabel muttered. As he went to sit back down next to his twin, she sat up straighter, "So…"

"So…" Stan echoed, scratching his hairy chest. Ford pursed his lips as Mabel surveyed the room, "Do you need a makeover, Grunkle Ford?"

"What?" He self-consciously caressed his face, "I'm not that ugly…"

Stan scowled, "Hey, if you're calling him ugly, then that goes for me, too."

"No, not your face! You're both beautiful," She told them sincerely and waved her hands around, "I meant your room needs some redecorating!"

"What's wrong with my room?"

"It needs a little pizazz," She bit the nail of her thumb, "A bit of glitter here, some paint over there. Maybe some inspirational posters."

Ford looked away, posing majestically, "I'm my own inspiration."

She remarked, "I see why your room is so bland."

"Ha, she got you there," Stan snickered as his brother was crestfallen, but then, the con-man noted, "You're stalling."

Mabel was taken aback, too convincingly, "Stalling? What does that mean?

"It's what you're doing right now."

"What am I doing right now?"

"Stalling!"

"Stalling…" She puckered her lips in critical thought. Stan slapped his face, "Oh, enough of this! Can we just start talking now?"

She questioned cutely, "What do you guys want to talk about?"

"You," Stan paused so he and his brother could anticipate her reaction, "and Bill."

A instant silence, and then she spoke, "Who?"

Their expressions dropped into incredulity as Ford clarified, "Cipher; Bill Cipher, the dream-demon we left upstairs?"

"Oh, him!" She slapped her knee and laughed, not that it helped in the least. Stan wasn't persuaded, "Yeah, him. That guy."

"What about him…?" She drawled. Stan added, "and you."

She voiced, "And me?"

"How do I put this?" Ford tapped his chin, forcing his brother to give him a sideways glance, "Don't try, Poindexter, you'll give yourself a nosebleed."

"No, no, I got it."

"Is it it a good 'it' or a bad 'it'?"

"It's what is necessary right now," Ford asserted seriously, "She needs to know this."

Both Mabel and Stan leaned an insignificant amount closer as the scientist breathed in soundly, preparing to speak.

"When two people love each other very much," Ford interlocked his fingers, "they do this ritual where—"

Mabel interjected, whipping her head away with shut eyes, "What kind of talk are you giving me?!"

He uttered in a matter-of-factly tone, "The talk!"

"I've heard about these, it kills children!"

"We're here to talk about them!" Stan shouted at his brother, to which Ford countered, "I am talking about them! I'm telling her that she needs to make sure she knows how far this could get."

Stan felt his face burn, "As if I'd let it go that far! That's why we are down here!"

"I'm here too, you know!" She cried out. Stan threw his hands up, "I know! Mabel, you can't go out with the dream-demon!"

"They're going out?!" Ford berated, "Young lady, we do not go around dating the product of a pirate and Abraham Lincoln! Gah, I should've given her the talk beforehand! Dating rituals are not something to toy with!"

"Dating rituals—" Stan spluttered, "that was your big talk?!"

"Of course! What else would I say?!"

"I'm not going out with Bill!" Mabel avowed, before wiping sweat off her brow in relief, "I thought you were going to give me that other talk. I'm so not prepared for that."

"You know what the other talk is about?" Stan questioned, to which she answered, popping her lips, "I don't know the details, so nope!"

His eyes narrowed, "Do you know the word 'puberty'?"

"Puberererty?"

" _Puberty_."

"Puberetty?"

"So you don't… Oh, why us?" He groaned, before pushing his brother's shoulder, "Poindexter, you tell her."

He replied hastily, "No!"

"You really want me to?" Stan arched an eyebrow as he rose both of his hands, motioning his use for them, "I'm not good at explaining."

"Uh…" Ford cleared his throat as he turned to his grandniece, who innocently gazed at him. His face was already glowing pink, "So, do you know that when a girl reaches a certain age, they develop these things…"

He was gesturing weirdly, hands flying, as his face grew redder, "And these other things… and something happens right around here…"

"Stanford, please, you're embarrassing yourself more than she should be getting."

"Well, this isn't easy!"

Stan felt his frustrations growing, "Okay, then just tell her what it does… here."

Ford was bugging his eyes out because of where his twin was pointing at towards his body. The scientist whispered, afraid, "The chest?"

"No!" Stan smacked him on the arm, "The feelings!"

"Gee, why don't you do that, then?" Ford smacked him back. His brother looked back to the extremely lost Mabel, "You're delusional."

"Stanley!"

"You see why I can't do these kinds of things?! It was better with Dipper!"

"I'm no different!"

"Just get to the point!" Stan urged, causing Ford to man up and face the female brunette, who was still as dumbfounded as a rock, only enjoying the quarrel in front of her.

"Okay! Point being is… you're gonna find that you're… fond of people who you may find attractive," Ford explained. Mabel was already trying to stifle her laughter from their argument, but what he said next made her smile falter, "but that's all it is, physical attraction."

"What are you saying?" Mabel repressed a frown. Stan spoke up, "You think you love Bill."

"I don't! What brought this on?!" Her face practically erupted into flames, causing her grunkles to shield their eyes from how bright her face was. Stan deadpanned, "You're as subtle as an elephant, sweetie."

Ford yelped once again, "Stanley!"

"What? It's true!"

"Is it?" Mabel inquired in distraught. Ford grimaced, "It is."

Stan informed her, "We aren't foreign to sappy gazes or mawkish actions."

"Since when have I ever—"

"You really wanna ask that?" He arched an eyebrow, "There's a lot we can recall."

Ford noted, "Well, when you came to us after meeting him for the first time, your face and words basically displayed how smitten you were already, even after we told you who he was!"

Stan mentioned, "You're always visibly happier when you talk about him."

As Mabel's head was mercilessly still virtually engulfed by fire, Ford also commented, "You even made a deal with him to go on a date with him and make him your valentine."

"I was desperate, I didn't have a valentine!" She squealed. Stan went on, ignoring her excuse, "You actually cleaned yourself up more than usual that night. That used up a bit of money, you know."

"Also, you let him hold your hand," Ford remarked. Stan snorted, "I walked in on you holding his hand while you both were unconscious."

"Plus, when you called for us that day where you found him bleeding in the forest and dragged him close enough to the shack, you looked on the edge of tears, as if he was going to die," Ford cruelly stated, at least that's what it sounded to Mabel. He only rubbed salt in the wound as he included, "You remember he's immortal, right?"

She protested, "But I don't love him!"

"Maybe not now, yet you do like him, right?" Ford pressed. She balled her skirt into her fists, finally confessing, "Yes."

Stan chided, "Mabel, out of all the guys!"

Her shoulders were taut as she faced down to her clenched hands, hiding her woeful expression, "None of them would bother with me!"

"I'd rather have that than have you with a demon!"

Mabel shot her head up and objected, "He's just a dream-demon, and he won't hurt me! Since he's been hanging around me a lot, he hasn't been doing that much bad stuff, I think."

Was she changing him? Bill was actually taking influence from her… for some reason. A reason they hoped was far from what they didn't want to believe. Stan's expression darkened since that seemed unlikely.

"He could be luring you into something awful, Mabel," Ford apprised, "How do you know he isn't working with ominous strangers or even more powerful demons?"

"He isn't!" She pushed back, to which he pushed back, "You're just a child. Do you hear yourself right now?"

Mabel felt a burst of pique at her core, "Sure, I'm a child! Don't listen to the facts, listen to your paranoid speculations!"

She refrained from taking her reaction too over the top, and resorted to intense glaring, "Name one time he's hurt me! Not anyone else, but me!"

"Are you waiting for it to happen?" Ford demanded, also taking an authoritative tone, "Because we aren't, Mabel."

"I know what I'm doing, so I'm not waiting for anything!"

"Right, you're making it happen because you don't know what you're doing."

"Just listen to me!" Mabel irritably pleaded, but Ford's eyes were stern, "No, you listen to me!"

"How about you both shut your yap and calm down!" Stan dictated, raising his voice higher than both of them, "Heck, you both are usually tolerant, but it's obvious that no one is surrendering."

Ford lessened his stare, "I'm sorry, that got out of hand."

"Yeah…" Mabel also relaxed, embarrassed at her own retaliation. Stan kneaded his temples, "Okay sweetie, what's your case?"

"My case?" She furrowed her eyebrows, before perking up in comprehension, "Oh! He doesn't like being with other people, and it doesn't seem like other monsters like him, either! He's… lonely. He's already gotten really hurt twice. I don't think that's from here."

"You're saying that demons beat him up?" Ford concluded, and she bobbed her head in confirmation. Stan broke out into a guffaw, "Oh man, he isn't as big as he boasts, huh?"

"He was a blonde loser this entire time," The scientist palmed his fist, "I knew it!"

"And I'm glad to be his friend!" Mabel claimed. Stan folded his arms, "How long will you be satisfied with just being his friend? I'm not even sure what you see in him."

"Grunkle Stan, he's more than a blonde loser who can produce fire and has one friend," She replied lovingly with doting eyes, placing a hand over her chest, "He's a blonde loser who can produce fire and has one friend that likes him for who he is."

Ford doubled over from holding in his laughter as Stan squinted his eyes, "You mean you think there is more to him than a conniving and devious delinquent?"

"I know there is," She blithely listed with her fingers, "He has this really cool thing under his eyepatch, he has a weird appealing to triangles, he likes messing with people but I think he just wants attention, and when he was resting, I once saw him smile a genuine smile, it was really cute."

Her grunkles were staring at her again, and she grew defensive, "It's called having good memory!"

"I have a decent memory of him, Mabel," Ford pointed out, providing his own case, "He's tricked people and into giving him things he wouldn't even use and stolen from them just for the heck of it."

"Isn't that Grunkle Stan?"

"I'm doing it for a good cause!" Said great uncle justified, "It's called the 'Go fund the decaying, old Stan,' and it helps supports decaying, old Stans like me!"

"What about Grunkle Ford?"

"There's not enough supporters."

"I don't need to be a charity case," Ford rolled his eyes, "but even though Bill and Stanley had the same… crimes. That troublemaker does more than that, exactly as I had called him: trouble."

"Yeah, but remember what I said? He hasn't been doing much of that, lately," Mabel beamed, putting her heart into her words, "And I didn't change him. He's always had it. He just needed support in letting it happen."

"Or an insane girl to invade his life and turn it upside down," Stan grumbled, eliciting an elbow to bump into his stomach. Ford didn't even cast a glimpse towards him, "Does he like you?"

"What? Well—uh—I don't know! He's never said so, and it doesn't seem like it," She stammered, face immediately blooming into a rosy color once again. Ford sighed in relief, "Well, that's good, or else I'd know for sure he was under a spell."

The color disappeared from her cheeks as she looked offended, "Am I not good enough for romantic love?"

"No, no, my dear, not like that," He elucidated, "He hates humans, despite the fact he looks like one. So it's highly improbable he'll grow to also—"

She interrupted, "Yeah, I know, Dipper told me all the 'he won't ever like you' and 'you'll just get hurt.' I got it; don't need to listen to that again."

"You already told Dipper about this?" Stan asked in surprise, to which Mabel nodded. His face fell, "So, why didn't you also tell us right away?"

She shrunk, realizing her mistake, "I don't know... I mean, I was planning on telling you guys, but I wasn't sure how you'd react! Imagine my position with two protective great uncles, who I already know don't like my crush!"

Ford motioned, "Imagine how we felt! Our grandniece is dreadfully in love—"

"Like, just 'in like,' not love."

"—with this evil dream-demon with powers!"

"You guys can worry all you want, but it won't be needed," Mabel made clear, "I need you to trust me that he's not going to hurt me, and I'm not going to hurt myself."

Stan started, "But—"

"Truuust me."

"My dear, if we are to trust you, then I want you to do us a favor and understand why we worry," Ford rubbed his weary eyes, and signaled to both himself and his twin, "It's just us for you and Dipper, now."

Stan continued from his brother's words, "Your grandpa Shermie, your mom and dad, they aren't here to guide, raise, and protect you anymore. We barely know how to deal with kids, but hey, we're trying."

"It's not only you we're worried about, Mabel," He proclaimed, "Dipper has a long way to go until we can fully be sure that he can take care of himself and you. Plus, the process of becoming a Soul Fighter isn't all that safe, too."

Mabel's eyes softened as she realized that they really were the only Pines left in the family. They had to look out for each other since everyone else was… gone. And she supposed that liking a dream-demon and her brother training to fight against beasts wasn't very reassuring.

She swung her feet as it hung off the edge of the bed, "Are you mad?"

"Duh."

"Stanley!" Ford cut in, earning a shrug from his twin, who remarked, "You are, too."

The scientist breathed and looked back to his grandniece, "What he means by that is, we're mad that you didn't tell us sooner and instead had us find out about it."

"Next time, kiddo, just say anything. The only thing we can lose is each other," Stan declared, "Liking someone is a part of growing up, and I remember when we visited you guys a long time ago when you were like the size of my foot. It's hard to recognize how you both are now."

"There's a lot of great evil in the world, but there's also a lot of good," Ford stood up, bringing his twin up with him, "We'd never forgive ourselves if we let you fall to the former."

Mabel sniffed, and they brought her into a hug. She wiped her brimming eyes, choking out, "I'm sorry."

"We know you are," Ford responded as they fastened the embrace so it was comfortable enough, but not awkward or too rigid. It was as if a hefty weight had been lifted off of her, or melted into a new form of insight and appreciation. They didn't release her immediately, not that she wanted the hug to be short. She had forgotten what it felt like to receive that signature love from her parents, but this was good enough.

How was Mabel? Was she okay? That was a stupid question, of course she wouldn't be okay! She would have to admit her feelings to both of their great uncles all by herself. She was probably terrified of their reactions. I mean, even he was frightened of what their reactions would be. From what he knew, it would be pretty close to his own reaction from the day inside the closet, except more freely angered because of adult privileges.

Dipper should have, but he didn't want to warn her to be subtle about her crush. One, she was physically incompetent about being discreet, so enlightening her would just have her be even more obvious while she would've tried to not be as noticeable. And two, if he said that, it would make him feel as though he didn't trust his great uncles. Perhaps his flaw was when he didn't tell her to tell them sooner.

Dipper kicked a pebble, where it hurled and struck the trunk of a tree. Suddenly, he wobbled on his feet as the ground vibrated underneath him. Casting his gaze upwards, woodland creatures were running past his unstable body as a mighty roar could be heard in the distance, gradually making its way closer to where he was. The brunette had an idea of who it might be.

"MEAT!" The manotaur popped out and slammed down, causing Dipper to raise several inches of the ground. Chutzpar leaned in and inhaled deeply, "Raw…"

He backed up, bearing a haughty grin, "Good job, human."

"Dipper, call me Dipper," The male twin rose to shake hands, to which Chutzpar shook his head, "Dipper is not satisfactory. And what is that thing doing, sticking out like that?"

The manotaur clenched his fist, and pitched it back. Dipper yelped and brought his arms to guard himself, but no impact came. Peeking dubiously, the boy saw that there was a giant fist right in front of his face. Chutzpar was puzzled, "Do you not know how to fist bump?"

"Oh," Dipper did as he was supposed to do, smiling as Chutzpar beamed back at him proudly. The manotaur asked once again, "What is your name?"

The male twin placed his hands on his hips, a name swiftly thought up in his mind, "My name is Dipper the Destructor!"

"Great, let us move now!" The manotaur gripped the plastic bags of raw meat and hung it over his shoulders. Crouching, he turned to Dipper, "Hop onto my back, my hair will be a good safety rope."

There was a sheen of oil and little critters flying and crawling through that hair. But he had to get through this to hang out with these guys! He had to be manly!

Dipper leaped onto the creature's back and instantly cringed at the sliminess. Chutzpar made several streaks into the dirt with his hoof, preparing to bound forwards, "Hang on tight!"

Abruptly, the manotaur began zooming across the forest, crashing into branches and rocks like they were nothing but an open pathway. The brunette swore he saw a deer fly past his face as it flew from the collision. Chutzpar cackled heartily as Dipper let out a few, small shrieks and felt himself hyperventilate briskly. This was ludicrous! Nothing was stopping him!

Not even the ravine in front of them!

"Look out!" Dipper yelled at the top of his lungs. His breath was forced down as the manotaur sprung off the ground at the very edge of the ravine, soaring across the gaping trench. At this rate, they'd make it across!

If it wasn't for the mountain in the way, he'd actually be glad.

Dipper squeezed his eyes shut as the impact came, the sound of rocks bursting was banging in his ears as fragments flitted across his cheeks. A musky odor invaded his nose, and he opened his eyes to a collection of manotaurs that were in the middle of doing various cliche manly activities. They stopped to watch as Chutzpar lifted his arms victoriously, bags of raw meat in hand, "GRILLING!"

"GRILLING!" They began chanting, "Grilling! Grilling! Grilling!"

Their vehement volume resounded against the rocky walls, triggering chunks of rock to plummet down. One thwacked Dipper's hand, and he recoiled instantly. Dropping to the ground with a grunt, he massaged his throbbing affliction and sat up. The manotaurs put an end to their rallying call to stare at the young boy. Suddenly, one screamed, "I want to fight him!"

Dipper felt his heart lurch forward as another one barged in, "No, I want to!"

"Let me!"

"I will punch him in the face!"

"How about I punch you in the face?!" A manotaur unexpectedly declared, bouncing towards the other. The iconic sound of a fist meeting its target cued every other muscular, horn-possessing half-man to begin brawling, throwing punches and kicks mindlessly. Dipper had barely failed to dodge a beast that was hurled his way, and he rolled to the other side for safety.

Chutzpar walked to his side and crouched down, using his hand to showcase the skirmish, "Welcome to the Man Cave."

Dipper observed as a manotaur crashed through the wall beside him, his wail steadily fading as he descended down the trench. Turning back to the melee, the brunette smiled, "Wow, these guys are great!"

"Not just great, Destructor; we are manly!" Chutzpar let out a momentary bellow, acquiring everyone's attention, ceasing the fray. He lifted Dipper by the back of his vest and plopped him onto his feet, "This is a human boy in need of help to show off his manliness."

Chutzpar pushed him forward, forcing him to introduce himself. Dipper coughed into his fist and waved his hand stiffly at the attentive manotaurs, voice cracking, "Hi, I'm Dipper… the Destructor."

He received approving nods and a few comments, "Manly name."

"I like the '-or' at the end of it, really matches with '-aur.'"

"I still want to battle him!"

"Give me meat!"

"Yes!" Chutzpar replied, gesturing to the outside, "Let us begin the grilling!"

The manotaurs charged out the cave, either through the present holes or by creating their own. Dipper squeaked, "We have to cross the trench again?"

"Absolutely!" Chutzpar took him by the vest and flung him to the other side. Dipper tumbled until he came to a stop, and flinched at the small scratches that formed on his arms. The loud crackling of trees breaking from their trunks gained his attention. He found himself staring at a pile of shambles of wood. A few more of the beasts planted the legs of a wide, metal grate securely in the dirt to place above the pile of murdered trees. A manotaur announced, "Someone come forth to light this wood with a vehement roast!"

"What? Like, a flame?" Dipper questioned with a quizzical expression when Chutzpar appeared next to him. The manotaur shook his head, "No, a scorching insult!"

A manotaur stepped in front of the crowd, and jabbed a finger towards the lifeless pile of wood, "HEY! No one is around to hear you make a sound if you fall because no one cares if you fall!"

The group of manotaurs let out deafening hollers as the pile of wood lit aflame, much to Dipper's astonishment, "How is that possible?"

"Because we are man!" Chutzpar declared, before leaning in next to his ear, "Also, we tossed a lighter in."

"Oh," The brunette watched as the manotaur ripped open the plastic bags and dumped the meat onto the grate. The fire started cooking it instantly, leaving a delicious aroma to flow through the air. It wasn't long until everyone began to greedily clutch their meals and chow down hungrily. Dipper sheepishly took his own part with a stick he found on the floor, and blew the meat a few times before taking a bite.

Woodland creatures would peek from the bushes to find an opportunity to run in and snatch some food. The manotaurs projected pebbles at them, shouting at them to go away. Dipper picked up his own pebble and looked at the approaching gnome that creeped towards him. He stuck his tongue out and threw it, but it missed its mark and hit another manotaur instead, "Ow, my manly pecs!"

Dipper inhaled sharply and whistled innocently. The gnome hissed at the hostility before scampering away, "Shmebulock!"

"Good hit, Destructor!" Chutzpar sat next to him as indistinct conversations were audible, "So, let's introduce you to everyone!"

He pointed to each respective manotaur, "That's Testosteraur, Pubertaur, Pituitaur, Beardy, Clark—"

Dipper inquired tentatively, "Is that a… boil?"

"He's going through some stuff," The manotaur eerily responded, before devouring his cooked meat. More time passed as everyone enjoyed their meals. The atmosphere was lively and delightful and the food was delicious. Dipper licked his lips when he finished and resumed conversing with Chutzpar or the other manotaurs.

Without warning, more manotaurs came in from the Man Cave, carrying cases of bottles. A gruff voice proclaimed, "We got the drinks!"

Cheers boomed as Dipper hesitated, "D-Drinks? Alcoholic ones?"

Pituitar responded as he took his own, "Of course, Destructor! Nothing could be better used to wash all the meat down!"

Dipper felt his mouth go dry, "I think I'll drink water…"

"At least take a sip!" Pituitar urged, making everyone else to encourage the brunette. The manotaur bit the cork off and spat it to the side, before waterfalling most of the drink. He thrusted it in front of Dipper, who reluctantly took it from his hands. He glanced at everyone that was tilting forward in expectation. Dipper swished the remaining liquid in the bottle. It was barely a considerable amount, but he's never had a drink before. What would his great uncles say?

"Come on, Destructor!" Testosteraur pressured. Dipper grimaced and gulped uneasily, before finally chugging the last drops of alcoholic beverage. A bitter taste stung his throat, and he hacked momentarily, spitting out tainted saliva. The manotaurs applauded at his decision, but he only fled to a nearby river and hastily cupped the water with his hands and downed the refreshing fluids.

Wiping his mouth, Dipper closed his eyes and focused on himself. He actually did feel a little bit more manly. He kept note that he was still seemingly cleared in his head, but that alcohol was not his forte, maybe not yet. Although, that was definitely something he'd do last.

"Mine is bigger!"

"Mine is the biggest!"

"No, mine is the biggest!"

Dipper truly hoped they weren't talking about what he thought they were. Bashfully bringing his gaze up, he stifled a sigh of relief when it was only fishes in their grasp. Other manotaurs were in the glistening river, using the moonlight to detect an unsuspecting fish and to catch them with only their bare hands. Pubertaur was standing next to him, explaining, "The bigger the fish, the bigger the man."

Fishing, huh? Not in the traditional sense, but this would be a good first experience. The brunette also rose to crack his knuckles, smirking, "Let's do this!"

"Whoa, hold up, Destructor," Chutzpar came from his other side, "You are still learning, and around this time, larger fish come out."

"Good, I can give all you guys another meal for tomorrow," Dipper took his hat, shirt, and shoes and socks off, throwing it to the side. Testing the water, he shuddered at the cold sensation that bit at his toe and breezed by. He mustered up his bravado and submerged both his feet underneath the surface, and a shiver coursed through his body. Rocks were uncomfortable below his feet as he walked towards the deeper area, the water almost reached the end of his shorts.

"You know how to catch with your hands, Destructor?" Testosteraur questioned, while Dipper scratched the back of his head, "How hard can it be?"

An obscure figure glided past his freezing ankles, causing him to discern there were a lot more fish that were visibly swimming along with the river's current. Dipper wiggled his fingers, before plunging his hands into the watery darkness. It splashed onto his torso, leaving him quivering from another round of abrupt chilliness. He drew his hands back right away when a slimy, fluttering, living thing slipped right through his hands. So that's what a fish feels like when it's alive...

"Not everyone is successful on their first try," Chutzpar consoled. Dipper adamantly pursed his lips, "I'll have to do it on my second!"

He paused with speedy eyes, then propelled his hands forward, back into the dark, running water. This time, he seized another frantic fish, one that violently flapped as he lifted it out of the water. It wasn't much, a small thing compared to the others. Nevertheless, the manotaurs clapped and gave sounds of praise. Dipper beamed, even when he was still giving a lot of effort to keep the fish in his grasp, and when his entire body was gnawing at him to get warmed up.

A thundering chime made Dipper jump out of his skin, and he dropped the fish on accident, allowing it to flee with the rest. The brunette looked over to Chutzpar, "What is that?"

"That means our leader is on his way," The manotaur said uncharacteristically solemn. He turned to the male twin, "You should go now, before he gets here."

"O-Okay!" Dipper dashed out of the water and choked back the scream that was threatening to sound because of his freezing state. Hurriedly tugging all his clothes back onto his body while shuddering in disgust of how it stuck to his skin, he asked, "When can I come again?"

"Soon, Destructor," Chutzpar answered, pushing the boy's back, "Now go!"

"Bye!" Dipper waved for a second, before sprinting into the protection of the woods.

The manotaurs were amazing! They really opened up his potential in becoming a man faster than he'd have to wait. Glands and hormones had nothing on physical involvement and brawny half-bulls!

He wondered if they'd like Mabel. Would she be able to bond with them in any way, or be mistreated for her gender? He thought the manotaurs were great and all, but just imagining them hurting his sister in any way made his blood simmer. Speaking of which, how was his twin doing with the talk with their great uncles? He had pushed it to the back of his mind to fully enjoy his time with the manotaurs. However, now that he was available for thinking, the notion came to mind.

The occasional hoot of an owl and the constant music from the cricket didn't disturb his persistent wandering. The forest was dark, the contents were unknown, and there was a crisp, icy wind blowing, for some reason. The moon was his friend at the moment. Home... home… where would home be?

The crunching of leaves was his mantra…

The moonlight showed the way to refuge…

His hand clenched unconsciously, as if holding onto another's. This was just like the night his town was attacked and destroyed… and his parents were killed.

A husky voice shattered the peace, "Who're you?"

Dipper froze where he was, actually feeling like a sculpture made of ice. He turned his head slowly, only to find that no one was around him. Leaping onto a tree branch above him, he quietly surveyed the area in search for the unknown voice. It didn't take him long at all to realize that two red, glowing orbs were somewhere far in front of him, looking down at a human-shaped silhouette that possessed a shimmer of purple. From what it appears to be, they didn't notice his intruding presence.

"The name isn't important yet," The smaller figure spoke, "Fancy meeting you here. I was just going around, asking for your location."

The gigantic manotaur huffed through his vast nostrils, smoke could be seen rising out of them, "What do you want?"

"I'm here to offer you a deal, leader of the manotaurs," The shadow proposed, "I can give you the ability to access as much manly strength as you please, and in return, you need to kill someone for me."

The manotaur seemed to accept the proposition already, displaying an enraptured smile, "Who?"

"When you shake my hand, an image will be placed in your mind," The darkened figure lifted his aflame hand, awaiting the colossal beast to return his gesture. Not even a second passed until the manotaur clasped onto it and gave an unbending shake. Violet flames enveloped their solid agreement, lighting up both of their bodies. Dipper spotted the friendly smile on the human figure's face.

A ghastly howl nearly blew him away. The flames had crawled up the arm of the manotaur and swallowed his burly physique. Dipper blinked, and the flames had vanished. The manotaur growled, "What was that?!"

The human-lookalike's voice was like silk, "Your new power."

Dipper had inferred that the singularly gargantuan manotaur was Leaderaur, also because the silhouette called him "leader of the manotaurs." As for the other one, no bells rung in his mind. Yet, since the human-looking figure had just went through the familiar technique of how demons make deals, then that means the man must be one. Still, he hadn't thought of there being a demon that had a human appearance like Bill did.

The manotaur scrunched his snout as a picture processed in his head, "Who is this _girl?_ "

The demon answered nonchalantly, "Pacifica Northwest."

Dipper had to prevent himself from falling backwards in shock. They had just made a deal to kill Pacifica?! As if he'd let this pass by him! He'd have to tell her right away, have her prepare for battle with a super powered up manotaur, evacuate the citizens even! With the amount of involvement he planned to have with this predicament, he temporarily pondered if he would also be focused on. Plus, his family would be endangered as well if this concerned himself or just Gravity Falls in general.

However, this mainly wasn't about him. He's seen up close how strong the regular manotaurs were, would Pacifica be skillful enough to fight the leader?

Of course she'd be, right? She was the headmistress, after all. He couldn't imagine that she would fall to any enemy. Even so, twinge of horror made its way into his chest if she did.

"It'll be done quickly," Leaderaur pledged, "Not tonight, but soon."

"Excellent, enjoy your new vigor," The demon waved him off as the manotaur fled to the direction where the Man Cave was located. Dipper tightened his hold on the branch as his mind was racing. This was insane! Pacifica is in actual danger now because some mystifying demon is aiming for her death! Dipper couldn't tell if the demon was an immense threat or some average monster; his aura was hidden. He had to get away before—

"Dipper Pines."

Said boy jerked away from the voice and ended up at the end of the branch. He repressed his panicked breathing, forcing out a glare, "Who are you?!"

The demon made no move to progress any closer to the frightened boy. His violet eyes were piercing, and his stance was intimidating, no matter how affable it seemed to be. A few moments of smothering silence passed, until the demon tipped his fedora, "Farewell."

Then, he was gone.

Dipper held his breath a little bit more, just for extra measure. Seeing the coast was clear, he allowed himself to slump onto the branch, trying to regulate his heartbeat before he went into cardiac arrest. The brunette stared up at the patchy night sky, the pine needles blocking most of his view. Ironically, he could make out the Big Dipper from the stationary stars that twinkled and shone.

He finally exhaled all of his trepidation and hopped off the tree, heading home as fast as he could.

Dipper hadn't expected his sister and his great uncles to be waiting for his arrival outside of the shack. When he landed in front of them, their faces seemed to be relaxed, no signs of anger or disappointment. He assumed the talk went well.

Grunkle Ford piped up, "How did it go?"

"It was good," Dipper replied unintentionally rigidly, causing Mabel to frown, "What's wrong?"

"We can deal with it tomorrow," Her brother shrugged off, taking a step up the porch to go inside. She took his hand before he could reach his destination, "We can deal with it tomorrow, but I think you need a hug right now."

"A hug?" Dipper yelped when Mabel embraced him emphatically, followed by Ford, then Stan. There were feeble gripes about how cold he felt, yet his family didn't pull away. The boy groused and tried to wiggle his way out, but there was none. Discovering that there was no use in struggling, Dipper slackened in the hug, breathing out peacefully now.

Whatever that he or his family or Pacifica had to deal with in the future, they could handle it. He truly believed that at the moment. A content smile broke onto his face as they continued to share an embrace. It was pleasant, tender, and warm.

 _It was home._

* * *

 **Now you may be wondering, why are the Pines react less than they would in canon? Quite simply, some events in canon don't happen here! Like, Bill never makes a deal with Ford and betrays him. So, really, Bill has dangerous powers, labeled dangerously, and interacts with dangerous creatures. Although, is he himself filled with awful intentions now? I'll let you in on a secret: no, as he himself stated and thought before.**

 **I just had such a terrible, terrible, terrible idea for a slight AU for Steven Universe. So, who's watched Puella Magi Madoka Magica? What if we put Connie in the position of Homura Akemi, and Steven in the position of Madoka? And then something or the other happens with the story. I prefer not the story to be the exact same as the anime, and to just be in the SU universe. I just want to see Connie slowly break herself as she desperately tries to save Steven from some enemy by going back in time a lot, or maybe once. The ending of such a SU story, who knows?**

 **I'm crazy about time travel stories that center around the grief and progress of a character as they try to change the future. You can see it in my favorites list.**

 ***twirls***

 **Now you may also be wondering, why am I not naming my arcs? Well, it's the same reason I don't name my chapters! I want to keep things unknown, so when they become known, I'll have the readers say "I knew it!" or "I didn't know it!"**

 **In the author's notes, I foreshadow or I throw you off. It's a fun process. But really, I just want everyone to feel that same feeling of confusion or suspense that'll leave you wondering.**

 **Blame Gravity Falls, Alex Hirsch, and anime, it taught me how to do that.**

 **Peace!**


	32. Chapter 32

**MoonLunacy: Thank you! And yes, they're 13.**

 **MayMay159: OMG thank you!**

 **Chykori: Oh, you, stop it or I'm gonna asdfghjkl. Nevermind, too late. Thank you and thank you and thank you and welcome!**

 **Midnight-Solace: I did go for it! :D I'm not planning to make it exact, the plot is basically just taking the time-travel… and feels. But a** **nyways, thank you and welcome!**

 **maranoismylife: I cry, u cry, we all cry. The study of cryology. ;-;**

 **KittyCat151: I'm glad you enjoyed that talk! And yes, it was. I tried to make it as clear as possible without giving his actual name because third person limited via Dipper's perspective, amirite?**

 **aerizel: Wouldn't it? I wonder if Bill would even have a clue what they'd be going on about, hmmm?**

 **StarCre8tion: Yes, I quite do! :) I'm not entirely sure how I thought of it, either. I just saw Madoka was pink and Homura was purple, and Madoka was this naive, nice person and Homura would do anything to protect her and she also used to be shy and nerdy-looking and then she grew to be independent thanks to Madoka. Also, the gems on the Crystal Gems' bodies reminded me of soul gems.**

 **AWSR(Guest): My intention to refer to that song! :D**

 **ssnnooppyy: CONGRATS! NOW I DON'T HAVE TO PUT GUEST NEXT TO YOUR NAME! Don't you just love that reward? And my feels were definitely soaring, man. Thank you for the high expectations, I'll try not to fail you and all my other lovely readers!**

 **Aqua Burst 07: Thank you! Do you like the product of anime cliches, magical destiny, amazing animation, and the ideas of an open-minded creator? Probably good for you to watch it then! It starts off slow, but I think the story is really great and meaningful.**

 **CLOUD SURFER: Good news, I released the first chapter in My Own Magical Destiny. If you'd like, check it out!**

 **Mylittlesonamy123: THANK YOU!**

 **NickStriker: Hopefully Dipper ;)**

 **I found out that Pacifica's eyes are dark blue and, as most would guess, Dipper and Mabel's eyes are brown. Welp, now I can potentially use them for future purposes!**

 **I replied to all the reviewers that reviewed after chapter 31. I'm sorry, and not sorry. Either way, thank you everyone who is still keeping up with this story!**

 **I apologize for the wait. Life has been quite busy lately, and now I have two stories to work on! I shall alternate updates.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

Dipper opened his eyes to a dusty, wooden ceiling and rays of sunshine. Oh, how early was it? Stretching briefly, he felt an irritation in his nose, and sneezed. He grimaced at the kitten-like noise he emitted.

Perhaps the warmth of love from old men and his sister wasn't as effective to his body as it was to his attitude. He really hoped he wasn't sick, because he had a job to do and problems to worry about. One of them should not be stupid reactions to his sneeze about how "cute" it was. He got enough from Mabel…

He received too much from Mabel.

Putting on his everyday clothes, he made his way down the stairs, hearing his stomach growl in response to the delicious aroma of breakfast. He could really go for some eggs... or toast.

Mmm, toast.

Dipper noticed that Bill was still resting on their chair. He was stationary, staring at the ceiling with a neutral expression. Yet, the bandage was gone from his abdomen, and only a pale scar was in its wake. His feet was hanging over the edge of the chair, and his hands were placed one over the other on top of his stomach. The brunette raised an eyebrow once he reached the bottom of the stairs. Not a single sign of acknowledgement came his way.

Was the dream-demon actually contemplating? The male twin briefly wondered if the blonde had ignored his warning and listened in on the discussion between Mabel and his great uncles.

Or if he had finally broke.

The male twin preferred the latter.

As Dipper passed by Bill's strangely unmoving form, he had sneezed again. The blonde immediately remarked, "You aren't blessed, kitty."

"I'm not a kitten!"

"What?!" Bill jerked his head, "When did you get here, Pine Tree? And where's your cat?"

"We don't have a cat, you dingus. I think you need two patches, because I've been here for at least ten seconds," Dipper didn't actually need this type of interaction first thing in the morning, but if he had to, he would.

"At least I sneeze like a man, and not a disgusting, baby feline."

"Sneeze right now!"

Bill glared, "I have powers of dreams and fire, not manual air expulsion through my nose holes."

Ironically, after he had finished that statement, a sneeze came forth abruptly. He questioned no one in particular, "Was someone talking about me?"

Dipper noted dully, "Your sneeze sounded like a high-pitched nuclear explosion."

"It's still cooler than a kitten!"

"I don't sound like a kitten!" Dipper countered, "Mine is better described as a warrior's whistle!"

"Fight it all you want, Pine Tree, but your inner animal is a damn cat."

"Oh yeah? Well, you're a… a dog!"

Bill seemed unimpressed, "And…?"

Dipper whispered smugly, "A female one."

The blonde got the message instantly, "If you wanted to fight, you could've just asked!"

"I'm not asking for a free win!" They vehemently glared at each other. There was practically electricity colliding between their eyes, displaying their intense dislike towards one another. Dipper sneered, "Why don't you just leave, already?"

"I will," He snarled, "and not because you told me to!"

"Dipper, can you come in here, please?" Grunkle Ford called from the kitchen, interrupting their quarrel. Said boy responded, "Coming!"

He gave the "I'm watching you" gesture to Bill, who only bared his teeth. Dipper entered the kitchen, smelling the wonderful breakfast that was prepared, along with toast. His hunger came back in full force and demanded food.

Grunkle Stan was reading a book at the table as Ford was writing something down on sheets of paper. Mabel was nowhere to be seen, presumably outside the shack with Waddles. Dipper took his own seat and yawned, regarding the lone plate of a single toast on the table with a tiny chunk of butter and a knife next to it. He reached for the plate.

An abrupt, loud thud broke him from his single-minded pursuit, and now he was wide awake as he recoiled his hand. There was a screech of wood against wood. Dipper was surprised to find both great uncles currently sitting on the other side of the table, staring directly at him. Stan had his book closed and laid face down, and Ford was holding his pen and his hand down on the table. Dipper assumed that's where the noise originated from. The male twin hid his hands below the table and darted between the two older men, not sure who to look at. He slowly asked, "Can I help you…?"

"We have some things to talk about, mainly two," Ford held up said amount with his fingers, "You get the butter when you clear up the first, and you get the toast after the second."

"What is this method of interrogation?!" Dipper scowled, "Gimme my toast! I'll answer anyways!"

"Good, you're hungry," Stan smirked, to which the young boy answered, "Of course I'm hungry, I just woke up! Toast!"

Stan took the edge of the plate and backed it up just by several inches, much to Dipper's horror, "My toast!"

"First topic," Stan planted, lowering his voice considerably, "how long have you known that Mabel liked that blonde loser?"

"Bill?" Dipper questioned, to which the great uncles nodded. There was a sudden sneeze that came from the living room, with Bill shouting afterwards, "Who the hell is talking about me?!"

"You'd think he would've guessed it was us," Stan snorted, "So, the answer?"

The male twin replied nonchalantly, "About a month."

"A month?!" Ford let out a hushed yelp. Dipper nodded in understanding, "Crazy, right? Can I have my butter, now?"

"Not yet," Stan responded, leaning in with a skeptical glower, "Has she tried doing anything with… him?"

"Nah, she wouldn't dare; she knows how mad we'll get," He elaborated quickly, his grabby hands now above the table, "Butter."

Ford inquired, hands intertwined in a dubious manner, "Do you know if he knows?"

Dipper wasn't focused on their actions, however, "He doesn't, because he's stupid."

"Has he tried anything?"

"No, and Mabel said he won't, so I'm riding on that."

"Does he like her?"

"Well, he's a tricky one, and stupid," Dipper restated as he lightly hit the table, drawling, "Buuutter!"

"Wacky kid," Stan mumbled as he took the knife and slid the butter onto it, before handing it over to his grandnephew. He beamed, holding the handle like he had just received ice cream, "Thanks!"

"Now that that's out of the way, the second thing," Stan laid back in his chair, talking at a normal volume, "How'd it go last night?"

"They were amazing! Their brawls looked really fun, and they did what they wanted," Dipper raised his knife, the butter threatening to slip off, "Like men!"

Stan inquired, "You plan on joining a brawl anytime soon?"

Ford piped up, "I advise not to; you may get really hurt."

"Please," Stan waved his hand at his brother, "so they tremble the ground with their walking and fight a lot with their muscles and all of that. But really, they were like a bunch of pillows."

"You fought with them?" Dipper cocked his head, and Stan smirked, "Uh, yeah. I put them in their place, which is down to my feet."

Ford shook his head, "And then one pillow happened to strike you in the back of your arrogant head!"

"Hey, at least you got him back for me," Stan grinned as Ford rolled his eyes. Dipper commented, a slight frown on his face, "Aw, I wish I could go do that with Mabel."

Ford arched an eyebrow, "Doesn't seem like she'd enjoy the ruckus."

"You'd be surprised," Dipper shrugged, "If it's all fun and games, she wouldn't mind throwing a chair or two. But life-or-death isn't her preference."

"I wouldn't try. They'd attempt to kill her," Ford asserted, causing all three males to pause and shudder at the thought of Mabel being put in harm's way. He motioned, "Anyways, anything else?"

There was something else that Dipper was leaving out. He tapped his foot, feeling guilt weigh down in his chest. He averted his gaze, "I also happen to sip some alcohol."

He tensed his shoulders, expecting the worst. But Stan applauded with a proud smile, "How fast can you grow in a night?"

"Too fast," Ford glared at his twin, "Alcohol can seriously damage him early on!"

"It's fine! I won't try to drink it again, not in a long time," Dipper clicked his tongue, "It tasted weird… and bitter."

"Nothing like the sting of blissful escape," Stan remarked. Dipper seemed unsure, "Uh, you guys aren't mad?"

"You want us to be?"

"No!" He gestured, "But, I just kinda felt bad."

"It was your night of fun and manliness, you were bound to try some new things," Ford sighed, "I'm sure you already know how far enough you can go. Under other circumstances, your parents would probably ground you."

"But hey, we're not them," Stan elaborated, "We have our own way of raising kids, probably not good."

"I'd give you guys awards for best effort," Dipper reassured, a fond look in his eyes. Ford scrutinized, "So, if last night went well, why did you come home troubled?"

"Oh, that's an entire different thing, let me tell you," Dipper sat up, declaring, "after I get my toast."

"Take it," Ford pushed the plate over to the other side, much to the young boy's glee. Dipper evenly spread the butter on the toasted bread, before placing the knife onto the plate. Lifting up the bread, he examined his work with a thoughtful expression. Then, he took a bite out of the toast, an audible crunch came forth and a pleased hum, "Yeah, that's some good toast."

His great uncles were staring at him expectantly, and Dipper remembered, "Oh, right, the thing!"

He swallowed and began to explain, "I was returning home through the forest, and then I hear someone talking, and I thought it was to me. But then I discovered it was Leaderaur talking to someone else."

"You met Leaderaur?" Stan held a surprised expression. Dipper chewed some more of his toast, "No, not at all; I just saw him."

Ford prompted, "Do you know who he was talking to?"

Dipper shook his head, not knowing the name of the other one. He clarified, "Based on what I saw, Leaderaur was talking to this demon or something. They made a deal that if he granted him lots of manly power, then he had to go kill Pacifica."

"Kill Pacifica?!" Ford reacted immediately.

"So the blondie is in some deep trouble," Stan voiced, and soon another sneeze was heard from the living room. He rolled his eyes, "I meant the other blonde!"

"You think she sneezed?" Dipper furrowed his eyebrows. Ford dismissed, "Nevermind that! A demon is after the headmistress? He sent the leader of the manotaurs after the headmistress?!"

"Yep," Dipper popped his lips. Ford questioned, "And you're okay with this?"

"Of course not."

"Wacky kid, I told you," Stan whispered to Ford, who replied, "You're not getting any money from me."

"Ten bucks that he does something crazy later."

"He's a good kid, not a criminal!"

"If you're so sure," Stan held his hand out, fingers wiggling for the deal and eyebrows moving up and down. Ford shook it firmly, a challenging look in his eye. Then, they brought their attention back to Dipper as if they hadn't just made a bet on him.

"I'm definitely worried, but it's too early in the morning, and I have toast," Dipper took another bite of the bread, "I think the worry will kick in later."

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for work?" Stan brought his book back up to his face. Dipper checked the clock on the wall, "How much time do I have left?"

Not enough time to lazily eat his toast. Dipper yelped, dropping the toast on his plate, "I have to get ready!"

Hastily putting on all of his clothes, he washed his face and brushed his hair, securely putting on his hat. He seized his backpack, already knowing everything he needed for the day was inside. Dipper hurried back downstairs and ran to the table, grabbing his toast and shoving it into his mouth, "Not wasting this!"

Then, he sprinted out the shack, bag carried over his shoulder and toast hanging from his mouth. He hadn't even realized that the top hat was missing from the small table, and that Bill was no longer in their living room.

Ford squinted his eyes, "I feel like I've seen that before."

Stan didn't look up, "What? How he ran out?"

"Yes," The scientist stroked his chin, "I think it's from Soos' show that he watches. Anima—animu—oh, forget it."

As Dipper raced through the forest, Mabel was somewhere else in the dense woods. She was busily practicing with her grappling hook as Waddles ran around, chasing bugs. Aiming it at a branch, she pulled the trigger. The young girl yelped as the sudden force jerked the gun from her hands. The grapnel flew into the bushes, the rope following after it. Then, a cry of what had seemed to be another creature sounded out from the bushes. Mabel grimaced, "Sorry!"

She picked up the grappling gun. Pressing the button on the device, the rope retracted back into the gun. She fixed her grip on the handle, attempting not to be frightened next time. Targeting the grapnel at the tree branch, she shot it. It winded around the wood and securely clung to it. Mabel tugged it a few times to make sure, before beaming, "Grappling hook!"

She pressed another button on the grappling hook, and soon she was soaring upwards. Her feet perched onto the branch and her breath was stuck in her throat.

Waddles squealed at his owner's abrupt disappearance. Mabel whirled her arms, trying to regain her balance. She looked down and squeaked. Why did she get herself this high up? Whatever, she'd be fine; no worries. This tree had nothing on optimistic thirteen-year-olds!

The brunette sat down and found a comfortable position so that she could think, refusing to bring her gaze downwards. She couldn't jump, she couldn't climb, and she couldn't grapple her way out… or could she? Mabel grinned at the thought. Taking out her camera from her sweater, she took a quick picture of herself up in that tree.

Mabel prepared the grappling hook and pointed it at the branch on the other tree in front of her. The grapnel fired and wrapped around the branch. She gulped, finally glancing down, before letting out a peep. As lovely as it was up here, she'd rather not be threatened to fall and break her face. Mustering up her courage, she let out a battle cry and jumped off, in which her cry turned into a shriek.

Mabel was gripping tightly onto the gun, curling into a ball as her body swung across through the air. She felt weightless, but gravity was still dragging her down. The wind rushed past her and pricked her eyes, eliciting tears to brim. She let out an indignant noise as her feet swiftly brushed the grass, being forced to continue swinging upwards. There was a trunk rapidly zooming up in her view.

Screaming once again, she squeezed her eyes as her legs stretched out. Then, her body felt like it's normal weight, and that her feet were standing on something. Opening her eyes, she growled, "Oh, come on!"

Fantastic, she was on the branch of another tree, just as high as the other one was. Mabel stomped irritably, "Darn you physics!"

The wood underneath her trembled menacingly, causing her to gasp and fall to her knees. She clutched onto the branch, "I'm sorry, physics. You complete me!"

The quivering halted, and she sighed in relief. Mabel got onto her feet and looked to the grapnel; it was still coiled around the branch. She exhaled deeply, before leaping off once more while bending her knees. Grazing the ground again, the female twin saw the upcoming trunk. When she was close enough, she kicked off the wood, but not with too much strength. She kept repeating the process on each trunk until she could plant her feet safely on the ground.

With a victorious grin and adrenaline still pumping in her veins, Mabel drew in the grapnel. She placed her hands on her hips and cheered, "Did you see that?!"

Waddles was running around her legs, ecstatic that his owner was unharmed. She petted him speedily, giggling and rubbing her cheeks against his chubby, pink ones. Mabel fixed her headband and flattened her skirt, also adding, "That was terrifying."

She beckoned, "Let's go, Waddles."

The pig was close on her heels and she made her way back to the shack. Mabel was quite pleased at her progress with the grappling gun. There was a slight skip in her step and a tiny whistle blowing out of her lips.

"Shooting Star—?"

Mabel whipped her head, raising her gun up to line it up with Bill's mildly quizzical look. There was an indistinct glint in his eyes as he accused, "Who else calls you Shooting Star?"

"Oh, I knew it was you," She twirled the gun in her hand, "I just wanted to show off my cool, amazing reflexes!"

"Yeah… I don't care," He was floating slightly off the ground. His chest was bare, but clean, and he didn't appear to be in pain. However, she still folded her arms and chided, "What are you doing out?"

Waddles hopped around him and bit the bottom of his pants, begging for petting. Yet, he received none, causing him to bolt back to Mabel, who pet him lovingly. Bill subconsciously drew closer to her, "I kind've live in these woods?"

Her face lit up, "I totally didn't forget that."

She tilted her head curiously, holding her hands behind her back, "So, what're you going to do now?"

"Well, if you can see my current situation," He gestured to his half-nudity with an irate expression, "I'm off to get new clothes."

"Oh my gosh! Shopping!" She bounced and clapped her hands. He gave a conniving smirk and mocked her excited clapping, "More like stealing! Yay!"

"Ugh, whatever, Grunkle Stan does it anyways," She waved off, "Just bring me with you! I wanna help you choose!"

"I don't need your help choosing," He glared, "I'll just get the same clothing."

"Boring!" She sang, "Why not a sleeveless hoodie? Or a nice polo with some jeans?"

Her eyes drooped a little at her vibrant imagination, but he retched in disgust, "Eugh, no. That's so second-rate."

"Gee, you sound like Pacifica," She retorted. Bill rolled his eye, "If you want to come, shut your mouth about my fashion."

"Hmm," Mabel visualized weighing her options in both her hands, before shrugging, "Fine, now let's go!"

Taking his hand in hers, she was delighted to not hear a sound of displeasure utter from his mouth. Although, the mischievous curl on his lips was pretty unnerving, and on a lesser notion, quite very attractive. Darn him and his good facial features!

In the blink of an eye, they were somewhere else entirely new. A tingling sensation burst across her skin, and she shivered. He commented, a bit heavily, "Teleportation, Shooting Star."

Her eye twitched, "My body feels like disturbed jelly."

She took a glimpse at his restrained panting, and questioned, "Are you tired?"

He defended strongly, piqued at being caught, "Try going somewhere at a speed of 600 miles in one second."

"Whoa, that's like Sanic."

"Do not compare me to that stupid hedgehog."

Bustling crowds of people were strolling through the streets, rows of unfamiliar faces was filling her eyes. No one seemed disconcerted at the sudden materialization of the pair. Seriously, did no one question the girl with a grappling hook and the shirtless blonde guy? A pang of fear distressed her, triggering tension in her muscles. She fastened her grip on his hand, as well as on her grappling gun, and scooted closer to him. She inquired tentatively, "Where exactly are we?"

"Somewhere in northern California," He looked to his right, "that has a rich people's store."

Mabel also looked at the direction he was facing, but soon she was being dragged along. Funny, since she remembered being the one who did the pulling. Bill reasoned, probably reading her thoughts, "I don't wanna be here for too long, there's too many people."

The building was magnificent inside as it was on the outside. Judgemental eyes were piercing through her comfy sweater and dirtied shoes, and her self-esteem. Someone stepped up to the two immediately, glaring down at the girl. Mabel shrunk behind Bill, who was unconcerned as ever. The man spoke in a thick, fancy accent, "She is not allowed here."

His sharp, cat-like eye was visible from below the rim of his top hat, "Does it seem like I care?"

The man wavered, "Young sir—"

Bill huffed, lifting up his chin a little higher, "Look at my face. Do I _look_ like I _care_?"

"N-No, sir," The man gulped, nervous of how powerful this young boy probably was. It was lucky that his "worst demon" reputation didn't reach outside of Gravity Falls. The bystanders with taut cheekbones and plump lips, expensive clothing hugging their bodies were all taken aback, some less than others. Bill shooed him, "Now go away, you're being annoying."

"As you wish," The man humbly stepped aside, permitting the blonde to pull Mabel deeper into the wealthy store. She caught up to his pace, making sure not to let go, "I know he was sort've a jerk, but did you have to put him down like that?"

"Don't make me ask you the same thing I asked him, Shooting Star."

"Touchy," She pouted. As they were scouring each line of clothing, Mabel criticized, "Why are these clothes so expensive? There's no glitter, or sparkles, or pretty, bright colors!"

"One reason why you should stay away from good fashion."

Ignoring her insulted motion, Bill strolled along hangers of clothing. He took one off to preview the clothing on his body. Mabel stifled a chuckle, "Doesn't that seem a bit… small?"

"I was sure this was my usual size," He grumbled, "Did I grow?"

"Did you put on some weight from being so lazy?"

"Illness and body management doesn't concern me," Bill placed the clothing back and had to rummage through the other clothes. Mabel tugged his hand lightly, "Why don't we explore a little bit?"

"No."

"Can I go?"

"Like I'll let you go running around, this store is big."

"What, afraid you'll lose me?" She batted her eyelashes and smiled cutely. He glowered, "Yes, because I can't predict where stupidity will go."

"I'll take that as a compliment!"

"How?"

"Anything is a compliment if you try hard enough."

Bill took another hanger off, "I highly doubt that."

Mabel squeezed his hand with another pout, "You suck."

He gave her a sideways smirk, "Was that supposed to be a compliment?"

"No."

"Then you see my point."

She hit his arm, but not too hard that it would hurt a lot, "I hate it when you're right."

It was the same feeling like whenever she lost an argument or a game against her brother. He didn't stop smirking, but he did place the hanger back into its place. Bill faced her, leaning in with an intent to frighten her, "You must hate me a lot, then."

She didn't back down from his intense gaze, but her whole being felt as if it was immersed in heated water. Mabel muttered, "You have no idea…"

He barely caught it, "What?"

"Nothing!" She forced him to back off and turn around, "Look, clothes!"

Bill opted out of questioning her fluctuating demeanor, and picked out another hanger of clothes. He was staring at the white, long-sleeved button-up that came with a black bow tie. Yet, instead of a yellow jacket with coattails, it was a sleek, yellow vest. He narrowed his eyes in thought. Mabel advised, "Why not just get it?"

"I don't think this matches my superiority enough."

"Oh, seriously?" She retorted, "You'll look fine."

"This would be a waste of stealing."

"Isn't anything you wear supposed to look good?"

"I don't want to pull all the weight," He was still conflicted, and she leaned on his arm, "Just get it so we can go."

He teased, "What happened to the shopping exhilaration?"

"I thought it would be better, but I feel like my skull is going to have too many holes by the time you're finished," She claimed, "Also, you left Waddles."

"Yeah, that pig…" Bill turned his head to see nearly everyone in the store was indeed glaring fiercely at the two, yet more directed towards Mabel. With a quick, deathly glare of his own, all of them turned their attention elsewhere. He yielded, "Alright, I'll get this."

She beamed, "Yay!"

Bill slapped a hand to her mouth, "When stealing, you don't draw attention to yourself. I had believed you knew that."

"Right," She said in a whisper, "secret!"

He brought the both of them to a hidden spot in the corner. She physically reassured she wouldn't accidentally be lost in the warping process. It was easy since Bill's hand was comfy to hold, anyways.

In a split second, they were back to the forest of Gravity Falls. Waddles oinked and pranced around merrily. Mabel noted, "What if you teleported _in_ something? Like, your body just merges with a tree?"

"Interesting, but impossible. There needs to be enough space for materialization, or you'll just be displaced. Elementary, Shooting Star."

"Don't have to go full-blown Dipper on me!"

"You're just comparing me to everyone today, aren't you?"

"How observant of you," She gave him a cheeky smile, "just like Grunkle Ford—"

"Yeah, that's enough," Bill turned around to leave, but Mabel held on, "Wait, I forgot to ask you something!"

"If pros and cons are the opposite, wouldn't the opposite of progress be Congress?"

"What? No!" She prevented her mind from thinking too deeply on that, "I just wanted to know if you celebrate any holidays… or anything… that involves the giving of gifts!"

"No."

"Oh," She let him go and scratched her cheek, "well, when's your birthday?"

"It already passed," Bill laughed at her dejected expression. He added, "February 30th."

She dropped to her knees, throwing her arms up and the grappling hook to the grass, "NOO—Ooh, wait, that day doesn't exist."

He floated on his back, "I don't know, and it's not important."

She gasped so sharply, his ears nearly cut off, and even Waddles flinched and whined. Mabel grabbed him by his vest, compelling him to stand on his feet while wrinkling the new fabric, "You don't know when your own birthday is?! Or care?!"

He never understood why humans celebrated annually about their gradual death. Bill took her hands into his, making her release him, "If you care so much about birthdays, then go crazy tomorrow. Although, you can't come to the actually party. You'll be trampled by all the high horses."

"Why? Is that yours?"

"Nah, it's Llama's. I come every year to make fun of the snobs and mess it up a bit. She always chases me off with her dumb sword, though, if I go too far."

She furrowed her eyebrows, "How far, exactly?"

Bill gave a lopsided grin, "I hid most of their fancy dinnerware and left only a fork, a spoon, a plate, and a cheap, plastic cup."

"There must've been heads exploding," She declared, causing her to laugh and him to snicker. Mabel asked, "Are you going again this year?"

"Of course."

"Can I come?"

"No," He articulated, "rich people, remember?"

"I just need to make a classy-looking dress with the power of hot glue!"

"Invitation only," He sang tauntingly, "unless you're amazing like me."

She suggested, "Why not just take me with you?"

"What?"

"Well, you seemed to get your way with your scary expressions, so you can do it again, right?"

"Sure, if you're so desperate, we can arrange a deal," He maneuvered his fingers that were dancing with flames, "but if someone were to ask, who are you to me?"

Maid was too deriding, along with any other title for humble workers. She blurted, "Your date?"

She covered her accursed mouth with burning cheeks. Bill didn't seem to get it, "What's in it for me, then?"

"Huh? Oh, uh…" Mabel puckered her lips in thought, before proposing, "I'll buy you a bag of Dorotos!"

"I can always steal one, Shooting Star."

"I'll get you these limited edition Dorotos that I keep hidden from Dipper's clutches?"

To her delight, he was dithering. His finger twitched as his hand was still lit aflame, "Throw something else in with it."

"You're picky today," Mabel hummed, irked. She brushed her hair, "I can tell you why Dipper and I came to Gravity Falls."

"How will that benefit me?"

"You like knowledge, right? Wouldn't it be interesting to know?"

"This is because you don't have anything else better to negotiate with, isn't it?"

"Perpotterous!"

"Preposterous," He corrected flatly. She feigned a melancholic expression, "That's all I have left to give! I've offered everything to you!"

Her eyes were on the brink of gushing out water, and her lip was pouting freakishly. Bill made a face of disgust and pushed her face back, covering it with his gloved hand. He gave in, "Alright! As long as you stop with that hideous look."

Mabel blinked away any tears and grinned brightly, like she hadn't just been on the edge of a breakdown. As she was in the process of dancing weirdly with her pet pig, he was shaking his hand in distaste since it was soaking wet with her human fluids. She twirled on her heel and thrusted her hand outwards.

"So, deal?"

Bill brought his gaze upon her shining teeth and joyful vibes. With a nettled huff, he took her hand and shook it, allowing the blue and yellow flames to seal the agreement.

"Deal."

* * *

 **I really thought of adding more, but I don't think I'll have any more time and so I just wanted to supply with what I could give now!**

 **The shipping was too much for me I'm drowning in feeeeeels.**

 **FEEEEEEEELS.**

 **I'm so psyched for Pacifica's bday! Dipper, you're a good person, aren't you? Don't do anything crazy, now. Mabel and Bill shall be attending her party! Leaderaur is on the hunt! Dipper is on a mission to report, perhaps to save?! Pacifica needs him to give her the answer to true strength!**

 **Until next time!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Paul Starhaven: Well, hello there! I love development xD thank you!**

 **Shoopdy: Thank you and welcome! Yes, I noticed that as well; let's just say apparently they are! :D**

 **Christian224: I love your first impressions; thank you and welcome!**

 **maranoismylife: YOU'RE WELCOME!**

 **panda: When you get around to read this, thank you and welcome to the story!**

 **Am I loser if I love my own stupid jokes?**

 **OH WELL, I'LL LAUGH ANYWAYS!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

Dipper hated being right sometimes.

As he had proclaimed earlier in the morning, the worry had kicked in, and without mercy. Like an abrupt, heavy slug to the gut.

For most of the morning, he was sipping water with a white, plastic cup. He roamed the school to check the classes, ignoring any jeers or weird looks from his peers. He spent time reading Grunkle Ford's journal, studying maps and analyzing diagrams, and other things he had done daily in his job. And so, near the final dismissal of classes, he had been sitting at his desk, writing away at reports. The clock ticked in the room, his pen scribbled soundly, and his eyes darted left to right.

And then he gasped, slamming the desk and falling off his chair with a thump.

Dipper scrambled onto his feet and clutched onto his hat. He launched himself out of his office, juggling the keys in his hand to lock his door. Then, he aimed for Pacifica's own. Just as he was about to burst in, his fist halted in the air. One foot was high above the other, and his lips pressed into a thin line.

How would he tell her that she was being targeted? That some demon was out there to see her die? A scenario began playing in his head: _He walked in nonchalantly, closing the door behind him. Pacifica turned her head up at the sudden appearance. Dipper stated, a dark expression on his face, "They are coming for you."_

 _She sat back, confusion and anxiety swirling in her eyes, "Who?"_

" _The leader of half-man, half-taur, but full muscle."_

 _She held a hand up to her mouth, eyes glossing over, "N-No, it can't be…"_

 _He let out a short laugh with a smirk, "Don't worry, I'll help you. And if it comes to it, I'll protect you."_

 _For some reason, he was now standing in front of her desk, looking down at her frightened form. She let out a sigh of relief, "I can always trust you, huh?"_

 _Her eyes were sparkling, his eyes were sparkling, now the whole image was sparkling, with had an odd hue of pink._

What?

Shaking his head profusely, he clasped the doorknob and took a deep breath. He hoped his attempt to lower the temperature of his face was enough, because this really was an important matter. He also hoped that he wouldn't set off the sprinklers on the ceiling if steam was rising from his head. Dipper had to tell Pacifica of the information he gathered, not imagine… _really_ strange things. Stupid, arbitrary mind; it was probably Mabel influenced.

With one final nod of resolve, he turned the doorknob and took a step forward—

—right into the door.

Dipper yelped and rubbed his nose, feeling it throb in pain. His eyebrows furrowed as he tried turning the doorknob, but it wouldn't open. Aggressively knocking on the door wasn't working either. Pacifica's office wasn't usually locked during the day, only when she wasn't here.

He let a few beats of silence float over his head. Was she even here today?

He recalled any times that he may have noticed her presence since he came to the academy, but nothing came back to him. Dipper groaned, "Out of all days!"

"I know, right?" Soos unexpectedly said from beside him, making the boy cry out in alarm. Dipper whirled his head around to see if anyone else was out in the halls, yet there was none. He pointed, "Soos? Where did you come from?"

"Down the hall? How're you, dawg?"

"Not too much in a dilemma, hopefully," Dipper grumbled as he leaned against the wall, "Have any idea where Pacifica might be?"

"Sure, she always misses work around this time of the year," Soos suggested, "I'd say her house."

"And where would that be?"

"The Northwest mansion, on top of this big hill. Although, mansion is kind've an understatement."

Dipper perked up, "Cool, I'll head there!"

"No way, dude," Soos wagged his finger, "I heard that us citizens aren't allowed to place a single step in there."

"This is too important for me to be chased off by snobs," Dipper protested, "There's something she needs to know. Soos, can you help me get to her?"

Soos' cheeky smile pushed his cheeks far up his face, which baffled the brunette. The older male knelt on one knee, placing his hat on his chest, "Noble one, I shall accompany thee in thy quest. Declare me as thy humble knight!"

Dipper stared at his friend, thoroughly lost.

"Just summon your weapon and tap me on both my shoulders," Soos explained in a normal tone. Dipper did as he was told, although unsurely. The apprentice rose as he fixed his cap back in place, "We shall leave right away!"

"Yes, that is what I was planning to do…" Dipper began walking away. He was still weirded out by Soos' sudden change in behavior. His friend dutifully followed after him with a puffed chest and a somber face. In no time, the duo were already out of the academy, heading towards the town. As they passed by a class returning from the forest, they spotted Wendy amongst them. Dipper was about to greet her, but Soos pushed him aside, "Wait for me over there, Sir Dippingsauce!"

"Sir Dippingsauce?" Wendy snorted, making the younger boy flush, "How do you know about that nickname?!"

"Lady Mabelton had told me, now shoo, shoo!" Soos pushed him towards the edge of the school's grounds and waved him off. Dipper muttered incoherently as he marched off. Making sure he was far enough, Soos turned around and whispered to the redhead, "It's sailing!"

Wendy placed her hands on his shoulders, deadpanning, "Tell me everything later."

"With pleasure," He saluted, to which she saluted back. Once he caught up with Dipper, the brunette remarked, "I didn't know you were friends with Wendy."

"Oh, we go way back," Soos looked up in reminiscence, "One of those bully situations, you know?"

"You defended her?"

"Ha ha… no… other way around," Soos chuckled nervously. Dipper nodded in understanding, "I see."

They strode through the town, smiling or waving at citizens that they recognized, which would be everyone for Dipper. He felt his face going numb at the amount of times he had to lift his cheeks, and then to let it slacken. Soon, they were following a wide road that ran across the forest. As they traveled further down, the road began to incline upwards. An extended wall with a massive gate greeted their view, and then the extraordinary mansion. They stopped in front of the large fortification.

"You were right," Dipper couldn't break away from his gaze, "That's more like a castle!"

"Yes, thou must go to thy fair lady!"

"Fair lady," Dipper restated, snorting at the end. Soos gestured, "Shall we approach the walls of the castle?"

"There might be someone watching," Dipper examined the walls and the mansion itself, checking for video cameras. He turned to Soos, "Can I trust you to help me?"

"Absolutely," Soos removed his shirt, prompting Dipper to recoil, "What are you doing?!"

The older male wrapped his shirt around his head, leaving only his eyes visible. It was his best attempt at making a knight's helmet, not that Dipper would guess. Soos reassured, "Do not express such dissent for fear of failure, Sir Dippingsauce! I have this under control. Now, let's break in."

Dipper's eye twitched while he placed his hands on his hips, "Can you even get over that wall?"

"Of course, watch!" Soos analyzed the wall for anything he could grab to hoist himself up. But the wall was completely flat, not a single groove to be seen. He scratched his belly as he turned to Dipper, "Nevermind."

Dipper rolled his eyes, before using soul essence to lift his friend. Careful not to overexert himself, he pitched back and threw his friend over the wall. There was a yelp and a moan of pain, until, "I'm okay!"

The brunette huffed and shook his muscles. That actually took more effort than originally intended. He took a few steps back, then ran forward. He leaped over the wall and over Soos, who was still lying down on the grass. Once his balance was stable on the ground, Dipper urged his friend to rise, "Come on, we can't be seen!"

To there misfortune, there was already fast-approaching footsteps, followed by a firm command of recognition, "Who's there?!"

Soos hopped onto his feet, abruptly full of energy. He signaled Dipper to escape above them. There was a balcony that was sticking out at a higher level of the mansion. Dipper nodded, before springing out of sight. Then, Soos turned back to a lanky man with long brown hair. It seemed like he hadn't seen Dipper leave. However, Soos wasn't frightened to fend the older male off by himself. Instead, he bravely stood in his place, "You will not anchor my ship!"

"What ship?" Sergei inquired dubiously while forming his signature stance. His sword appeared in his hands after after a flash of light. Soos felt a pang of distress, before pointing to a different direction, "That one!"

"What?!" Sergei turned his view to the side, where no ship laid at rest. He turned his attention back to Soos, who was also gone from his previous placement. The trainer caught a glimpse of the makeshift helmet, before it disappeared around the corner.

Soos heaved as he ended up in a wooden shelter he found outside the mansion. It lacked brightness, stunk of dookie, and held a very moist air. A gasp escaped his lips once he recognized the animals that were standing by, "Ponies?!"

More footsteps reached his ears from the outside. Soos racked his brain for a solution, with only one coming to mind. He quickly climbed atop one, who paid him no mind. The horse still had its reins attached, and its shoes on. Soos pressured, "Come on, dude, I need to do this for Sir Dippingsauce!"

The horse resumed to chew on whatever was in its mouth. Hay, maybe? An apple? Whatever, Soos didn't have time for this! He searched hastily around the front and the back of the horse, "How do I work this thing…?"

His frantic searching caused him to almost slip off the horse. With a yelp, his hand gripped the reins tightly and the other harshly slapped the horse's lower back.

The horse did not like that slap.

Its eyes widened as it neighed furiously, beginning to thrash around wildly. It broke out of the confinements of its stall and ran out the dim shed, carrying Soos with it. He began shrieking from both immense enjoyment and extreme apprehension while the horse sprinted around the backyard and the mansion. Sergei pitifully chased after him.

Dipper heard this from afar, and breathed out with a smile, "Good job, Soos."

The sliding glass door had a curtain on the other side, blocking most of the contents of the room inside. But with one tug, it pulled open. He was astounded to find it so obviously unlocked. Dipper stepped in with caution. His eyes scanned all corners of the room. There was no one inside to chew him out, or hurt him. He entered completely and closed the door behind him. Dipper pushed the curtains back to its original position to make it look like no one came in at all.

He then surveyed the room for its classy design. The first thing he saw was a whole lot of purple. The walls were painted purple and the bedsheets were a lighter tone of purple. The carpet was a snowy white, no visible specks of lint or dirt. His eyes stopped again at the huge bed. His brows furrowed, "Is this her parents' room?"

He tiptoed around, doing his best to stay quiet. Dipper spotted no pictures or characterized decorations, other then the favored color of the owner of the room. He only saw expensive-looking trinkets and diminutive chests rimmed with gold. There was a spark of curiosity that implored him to open one and peer at the possessions. Yet, the tread of someone steadily approaching the door had him freeze up. His body acted faster than his mind could comprehend, and the next thing he knew, he was cowering under the vast bed.

The door opened with one creak, triggering Dipper to squeeze his eyes and to hold his breath. The door shut, but it still didn't feel safe.

Nonetheless, after more than enough seconds, Dipper opened his eyes. He took a moment to quietly breathe for much needed air. Did they hear him come in? How was that possible?

He unhurriedly crawled over to the border of his hiding place, and gradually poked his head out.

He was glad to see that the coast was clear.

Dipper stifled exhaling his relief as he got onto his feet and intended to look for Pacifica.

A hand shot out from behind him and seized his vest collar, jerking him down to the bed. The brunette barely had time to react when both of his wrists were captured in an iron grip, forced to be pushed against his chest. He was about to kick his offender until a cool blade pressed against his neck. Dipper shut his mouth, finally recognizing that Pacifica was the one holding him down onto the soft mattress.

She did not look happy.

His legs were bent over the edge of her bed. It was as if she was trying to drown him in her snug sheets with the amount of force that she was using. Pacifica was kneeling beside him, but she was angled over his trapped form. Her hair cascaded down and tickled his cheeks, framing her face and shadowing her expression. She looked a lot more threatening, now that he really looked at her piercing scowl.

He gulped. His unease only ascended when he felt the muscles in his throat move against the blade, "So—"

"You have ten seconds to tell me why you are in _my_ house," Pacifica began immediately at a low volume, "Ten."

He argued, also keeping his voice down, "Ten seconds?! That's—"

However, even when giving him the opportunity, she ignored what he said, "Nine."

"—not enough—"

"Eight."

"—time to tell—"

"Seven."

"—you that there—"

"Six."

"—is a demon—" Dipper groaned as he gave up with being disrupted, "Just let me speak! I wouldn't break into your castle for kicks and giggles!"

She didn't appear to appreciate his demand as the sword was now almost choking him instead of striving to slice him, "How would I be so sure?"

"B-Because," He managed to strain a grin, "you trust m-me, right?"

"I'm not so sure now when you _break into my home_!" Pacifica growled, making Dipper believe that he'd actually die on her plush bed. To his shock, she unexpectedly released him from her deathly clutches. Dipper gasped for air dramatically as she crossed her arms in front of him. Pacifica snapped her fingers, "Tell me what it is!"

"Okay, geez! You choke a guy and expect him to recover instantly," Dipper held up a finger as he inhaled more sweet, sweet oxygen. Then, he planted his feet on the floor, and gazed straight at her. A look of contemplation crossed his features, before he began with, "Pacifica…"

Dipper stepped closer without appearing menacing. Nevertheless, she didn't step back. Her arms were crossed and her eyes were defiant. Although, she was becoming incredibly uncomfortable, and hoping this wasn't what she thought it was. If so, she'd have to kick him out of her house so hard, that he'd have a hard time getting back to Gravity Falls. Yeah, she could do that. He'd never suspect her mental plans.

Unfortunately, there was probably red blooming onto her traitorous cheeks.

He continued, unaware of her inner turmoil, "You probably think I'm a fool or a joke, even if you did pick me for this job. But what I'll tell you right now is that this is no joke to me."

She swallowed down her words that impelled to interrupt. Just wait a second, here! She was turning thirteen. He was thirteen. Weren't they a bit too young? A bit too busy? Well, not like she considered having such a relationship with… with him! A relationship that requires passionate feelings you wouldn't hold for anyone else, and an unbreakable bond full of trust and determination. Pacifica disliked that she was slightly unwilling to decline his evident confession.

He finished solemnly while holding her arm, "There is a demon out to see you dead. He sent Leaderaur to kill you, if you know who he is."

Pacifica opened her mouth to announce her rejection, but her throat constricted. She didn't muster up a response as she realized just exactly what was going on here. Her hesitance elicited a clarification from him, "Leader of manotaurs; a big, buff manotaur guy, with currently even more manly power? By the way, I had nothing to do with it, I just overheard."

Her mouth shut, and her lips trembled momentarily. Seething, she clenched her jaw. He soothed unknowingly, "Hey, it'll be fine! I decided I wanted to help you stop him or whatever."

Dipper never saw the abrupt, heavy kick to the gut coming.

He fell down onto his knees and hugged his abdomen. Tears sprang to brim his brown eyes, which were glaring up at Pacifica's enraged dark blue ones. Before he could even question, she began berating in a hushed whisper, "First of all, you don't _break_ into my home— _ever!_ Second of all, you think I don't know how to handle a demon and their stupid clients?! Yeah, sure, he's actually a really strong baddie, _whoop-de-doo_ , never seen that before! Lastly, don't talk as if you're… going to..."

Her voice trailed off, until her mouth stopped moving completely. He took the opportunity to croak out, "Why the kick?"

She shot her icy glare, "It helps you learn your lesson."

Dipper was once again beyond shocked as she crouched down to his level and patted his shoulder, albeit awkwardly. She averted her gaze downwards with pink dusting her cheeks, "But, thanks for going out your way to tell me… a way I disapprove of, but still… and offering your assistance."

Pacifica let go of him, and rubbed her temples, "I'll be fine, now get out of here before—"

" _Pacifica Elise Northwest!_ "

Dipper was roughly shoved under the bed, and he mutely whined at the impact his arm had taken from the floor. He couldn't see anything except feet. A slam was heard, indicating the opening of her door. Pacifica stated instantly, "Father."

"What is the meaning of this?!" Preston held up the beautifully tailored sleeveless, violet ball gown that had black puffs at the rim. He scolded, "Your mother did not request for this!"

"I… apologize…" She bit her cheek, "I did."

"Why?" He facepalmed with a hiss, "This is a waste of material, money, and time! We can't even have the correct one made because of the little time we have! The party is just after tomorrow!"

Pacifica gestured, "What's the problem?! We'll just use what we have then!"

"The problem is you went against our orders again! Can't you listen for once?!"

Pacifica felt piqued at being ultimately judged for this one mistake, "I have listened once, and I've listened twice, and every other—"

The chime of the tiny bell choked her words back in her throat. Preston threw the dress at her feet, and said before closing the door, "Don't mess anything else up."

Pacifica stayed where she was, until she realized that he was no longer in her room. She gathered the dress in her arms and dusted it off, before placing it in her wardrobe. The blonde sat on her bed, "You can come out now."

Dipper did so immediately, an incredulous expression on his face. As he stood in front of her, he pointed his thumb at the door, "You have to deal with that guy?"

She actually managed to snicker, "Everyday."

"I see where you get your jerkiness from, then."

Pacifica leaned forward and slugged his arm, albeit playfully. Dipper took the risk of sitting next to her, ignoring the repeating fact that her bed was very comfortable. They both kept their focus on the presently interesting, white carpet. He felt as though he should say more, but he wasn't sure what. All the topics seemed like landmines waiting to be stepped on. Why was her father such a jerk? Why did a bell prevent her from defending herself?

He went with what he hoped was the safest choice, "Your birthday is coming up?"

She popped her lips, "Yep."

"And Leaderaur is coming for you soon."

"Yep," Pacifica doubled over and sighed heavily, "fantastic."

Dipper pursed his lips, shrugging after a moment, "I'll fend him off for you. I can stay outside of your house and keep watch."

"Are you serious?" Pacifica frowned as she sat up, "He'll kill you. You said that he gained an advantage, right? That means he'll be too much for you to take on."

"Yeah, probably," Dipper scratched his ear, "but I could just chase him off so he'll come back another time, and then you can kill him after your party is over."

"That's pretty unlikely."

"What else can we do?"

Pacifica thought for a moment, yet nothing else came to mind. She gave in, "Alright… but you'll have to come to my party under circumstances of work. Just so that my dad doesn't misunderstand."

A free invite to a rich people's party? Sweet, he supposed. Dipper beamed, "Sounds like a plan."

He stood up and opened the door to her balcony, "I should go before Soos gets himself killed."

One foot was on the rails, while the other was preparing to jump off. Dipper also commented with a boyish smirk, "Also, I think I'm discovering that answer you wanted with true strength. Jokes on you, you're helping me figure it out."

"I didn't say anything," She objected. He waved her off, "You don't have to, I'm just observant."

Then, he hopped off, leaving a stunned and blushing Pacifica in his wake. He safely landed on the ground, dusting himself off like he had just pulled off the coolest trick in the whole book of cool tricks.

Then a horse ran over him.

Dipper opened his eyes to realize his entire body was clinging to the horse's neck for dear life. Soos waved joyfully, "I didn't know you could squeal like that!"

"Soos, what in the _name of everything_ are you doing?!"

"Taking a ride; it's pretty enjoyable," He replied as the wind rushed past them. The horse had been sprinting around the mansion, not sparing a single tuff of grass. It didn't stop once, not for anything that was in its way. Dipper fastened his grip, "I think it would be enjoyable for me if I wasn't _on the verge of death_!"

"Nevermind that, dude!" Soos leaned in, lying on his stomach with his feet up high, "How did it go? What did she say?"

"Get back here, you fiends!" Sergei's demand interrupted their conversation. Soos scrunched his nose from behind his shirt, "Tell me later. We have to get out of here, now."

Soos forced the horse to turn around to face Sergei. It dug its hoof into the dirt, getting ready to burst forward. Sergei poised his sword to attack. Dipper panicked, "Whoa whoa whoa, I'm still here!"

Soos curled his fingers, and Sergei narrowed his eyes.

Another resounding slap was heard.

The horse bolted forward with the shrieking Dipper at its neck. Sergei arched his arm back to retaliate the incoming attack. However, before the horse reached the trainer, it vaulted over the grown man, and over the wall. With a skid, the horse's sudden halt flung both Soos and Dipper off of it. Vague shouting was heard behind them after the gate was swiftly opened. They climbed onto their feet, and began rushing out of the area. In the process, Soos' shirt-helmet drifted onto the ground, sadly left behind.

Dipper and Soos panted as they gradually slowed their running, ending up in front the Mystery Shack. The younger male dragged him inside. The grunkles stopped what they were doing at their unanticipated arrival. Their clothes were disheveled, the hats on their heads barely hung on. Ford fretted as he dashed over to check them, "What in the world happened to you two?!"

"I rode a crazy horse," Soos responded with a smile. Dipper replied monotonously, "I rode a crazy horse's neck."

"You're living on the edge, kid," Stan said from the comfy chair as he continued watching "The Duchess Approves." He bursted out laughing, "Poindexter, you're missing the good parts!"

"Put it on pause!" His twin ordered, to which Stan did grumpily. Ford turned back to the recovering Dipper, "Why would you ride a crazy horse?"

"For love, it would be anything!" Soos declared as he patted Dipper on his back. The younger boy stammered, "L-Love?! No, I just—"

"Thy princess has been delivered affection from Sir Dippingsauce!"

Ford held a hand to his mouth as Stan took on a suggestive tone, "Whoa there, tell us more!"

"Soos!" Dipper reddened, "I had to tell Pacifica that s-she was being targeted for death!"

Stan was visibly disappointed as Soos wiped his tears, "He cares so much!"

"She gives me my paycheck!" Dipper countered feebly. Ford noted, "That still doesn't explain the crazy horse."

Soos elaborated instantly, "Well, you see Mr. Pines, Dipper broke into Pacifica's home, and we escaped on a horse."

Ford's jaw dropped as Stan did a spit take. The con-man slammed his Pitt Cola on the table beside him, "You broke into her mansion?!"

"Sure did," Dipper rubbed the back of his head in an abashed manner. Stan shot up and ran over to his grandnephew, giving him a hard noogie, much to the younger boy's chagrin. He grouched, "Ow, Grunkle Stan!"

"You really _are_ living on the edge, you son of a gun!" Stan released him and thrusted his hand out to his brother, "Pay up!"

"Unbelievable…" Ford griped as he reluctantly handed him ten bucks. Stan pocketed the money, bearing a large grin, "Alright, now I'm ten bucks richer!"

Dipper shook his head in disbelief, before informing them, "I'll be heading out to a party the day after tomorrow."

"Seriously?" Ford asked, to which his grandnephew nodded. Stan inquired, "It's the 'princess's' party, isn't it?"

Dipper was taken aback, "How did you know?"

Ford hummed, "Heh, that's what Mabel told us, as well… You need to talk to her to know the details."

"She already told us everything, in case you want to come storming down and interrupting our television time," Stan warned, making Dipper dread what Mabel would tell him. Before he decided to move upstairs, he went into another room and took a shirt. Dipper returned to Soos, showing him the jade green shirt with an even darker green question mark on the front. Soos took it gratefully, staring at it in awe while Dipper smiled, "It's thanks for helping me. Plus, it's a staff shirt, which we don't have, so no money lost."

"I'll wear it as much as I can," Soos put it on, "Thanks, dawg."

He tipped his hat at his friend, who tipped his own. Soos left the Mystery Shack, whispering to himself proudly, "You did good today, Soos."

Dipper speedily headed upstairs to the attic, opening the door hastily, "The grunkles told me that you…"

Mabel was tangled up in cloths of different shades of pink, holding the hot glue gun up in the air. He finished off lowly, "...had something to tell me."

She said pathetically, "I'm stuck."

"Well, I can see that," Dipper assisted her in unraveling from the sheets. She resumed to cutting and gluing, like she hadn't just been fixed in a most definite cringe-worthy position. He sat in front of her, "What's this for?"

"Well, it all goes with what I'm about to tell you," Mabel placed the glue gun down and clapped her hands, before smoothing out her skirt. She had this grin on her face, one that Dipper had seen too many times to count. She squeaked, "I have another date!"

Dipper drawled, "With—"

"Bill! How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess," He pinched his nose bridge, "I'm starting to think otherwise about that guy's feelings, or he's just a really big idiot."

Mabel picked up her scissors and began cutting again, "I asked him to take me to Pacifica's birthday, and he said yes! So I'm making this dress to wear!"

"Now I'm tempted to let Leaderaur rampage…"

"Who?"

Dipper sighed as he explained once more about what was happening with the leader of manotaurs and Pacifica. Mabel gasped, still hyped, "Oh no for her, but yay for us! Or, well, I don't know! But cool! You're coming too! We get to go to a snob party together, isn't that fun? Oh, oh! I'll totally show all of them up with my amazing waltz skills!"

"You actually get to use them now, after learning it since forever," Dipper rolled his eyes. His sister always had a thing for romantic plots, and watching princess movies was one of her favorites. Waltz were used in most of the older ones, which got her intrigued with the dance. Mabel was gluing something to the other, "What about you? Gonna dance? Eat some yummy food?"

"No, I'm gonna be outside most of the time," Dipper began to stress silently. Since Mabel was also going to this party, what if she was hurt from the attack? That is, if he couldn't fend off the bloodthirsty half-man, half-taur. Mabel was still subconsciously crafting as she talked, "Pfft, don't be a stranger! Oh, man; I can't wait! This'll be great!"

Dipper smiled at her enthusiasm; her optimism was just contagious. He whistled, "I bet."

The rest of the day went normally, and tomorrow blew past quickly.

The next day after?

 _Party time._

* * *

 **YEP, I CUT IT OFF THERE.**

 **You did good, Soos. You did good. Have a shirt!**

 **Dipper, that did not go as planned, huh? You so cray-cray, you made Ford lose ten bucks! They were watching together! Reminiscing the old days, are we?**

 **Mabel, you ball of sunshine, you.**

 **Party time! Party time! Party time!**

 **Until next time!**


	34. Chapter 34

**Korinta582: Hmmmm, now!  
**

 **Mylittlesonamy123: THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. I HAVE NEVER BEEN CALLED A MARSHMALLOW KITTEN UNTIL NOW, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT WONDERFUL FIRST EXPERIENCE.  
**

 **HeadsofScwab: Glad to make you glad! Welcome aboard!  
**

 **Paul Starhaven: Ah, to those who didn't understand the joke of last chapter, I was referring to the cliche of "guy breaks into rich girl's home to be with them/confess to them." :P THAT'S A CLICHE RIGHT? I don't even asdfghjkl anymore. Also, yes! Questions and questions and more questions!**

 **hijackforever: Thank you for making sure to catch up!**

 **maranoismylife: YES!**

 **Whovian Sherlockian Potterhead: I'M DYING BECAUSE OF YOUR REVIEW!**

 **KittyCat151: Thaaaaaank yooooouuuuu!**

 **Chykori: THANKS!**

 **aerizel: Oooh, I don't know… :P**

 **AquaBurst07: Indeed, what shall you do when someone you know breaks into your home?**

 **NickStriker: Let's see, shall we?**

 **My deepest apologies for recently taking longer to update the story. Life, you know? Thank you to those who are still keeping up with the story!**

 **Also, to reassure my lovely readers, I'm estimating this story will reach one-hundred chapters—at the least.**

 **I'd also like to thank HeadsofScwab for the lovely fanart inspired by this fic!**

 **Check it out on DeviantArt!** **/art/Mabill-Doodles-604466138**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls, or Disney.**

* * *

Mabel combed her blow-dried hair thoroughly. Instead of a headband, she placed a small hat on her head. It created a large heart that curled inwards, and had flowers adorning the rim of the hat. She used a clip to pull back her hair on one side of her face. Her chocolate locks rested on one shoulder, falling down with beautiful curls. She fixed the upper part of her dress, and fluffed out her poofy skirt.

Mabel twirled in front of the mirror, admiring her own work. Her eyes caught onto the hot glue gun stuck to the bottom of her dress. With a huff, she carefully peeled it off, yet it still left a mark. Taking another rosy flower, she placed it on her dress to cover the mistake. Then, she remembered that there was one more thing to add to her outfit.

Cheap, plastic, pink heels!

"Perfection!" She purred. Mabel twirled once again, hearing a tune build up in the back of her head. She sat next to her pet pig who was content just gnawing on one of her spare roses. She began to stroke his plump head, "This night will be so magical! Oooh, I just know it!"

Waddles oinked shortly in response, before resuming to his chewing.

"What if he sees me in a new light?" Her heart soared at the thought. She crossed her legs with a confident look, "Of course, I'm already as bright as I can get! I'm blinding!"

Mabel leaned close to Waddles, who didn't pay her any mind. She looked up at the ceiling with wonder in her eyes and hope in her voice, "We'll be dancing with a spotlight, and the night would carry us away! Then, as we stare each other in the eye, the musical number begins!"

She outstretched her hand in front of her and pretended to grasp for something. Her mouth opened, " _And at last I see the light! And it's like the fog has lifted_ …"

"Please!" Dipper bursted through the door with a pleading expression, "No singing right now!"

She, however, didn't stop, " _And at last I see the light_!"

He stepped closer threateningly, "Mabel!"

She hopped onto her feet and began to dance in some weird and choppy form, " _And it's like the sky is new_!"

"Mabel!"

" _And now I see a WHOLE NEW WORLD WITH YOU_ —"

"Is that even the same song?!" Dipper questioned as he trapped Mabel to the ground, covering her mouth with his hands. He retracted instantly with his tongue out in distaste at the wet slime that was now on his hands. With a glower, he wiped it on his shorts. They both rose onto their feet, dusting off whatever lint stuck to their clothes.

Mabel's grin immediately dropped into a frown once she realized her brother's outfit. Her tone dripped with vexation, "Really?"

"What?" Dipper wasn't dressed up in the least. He was wearing his regular, everyday clothing, along with his backpack. Mabel scolded, "If I knew you were going like that, then I would've made you changed!"

"I don't see the big problem! I'll be outside for most of the time anyways," He defended. Mabel gave him a look of disbelief. Then, she blew a raspberry and threw her hands up as a sign of surrender. She picked up the present she had for Pacifica, before letting her brother pull her downstairs. He stated with a hint of urgency, "We need to go now. The party is probably starting."

"What are the chances that Leader-what's-his-face is even coming tonight?"

"Based on my calculations, pretty high," He mumbled. Mabel sighed in defeat, and then turned around to her grunkles, who were busily watching the television. She waved, "We're going now!"

"Yeah, have fun," Stan didn't tear his eyes off the screen. He chugged down his can of Pitt Cola, but was prompted to spit take as both he and his brother erupted into a guffaw. Ford dismissed them with his hand, "Be safe!"

"Aren't they just the best?" Mabel said to Dipper while they were walking out the door. He snorted, "No doubt about it."

They stepped off of the shack and walked off into the woods. The vibrant, bright rays of the setting sun consumed them both. Mabel trailed after Dipper since she had no idea where Pacifica's house was.

To his misfortune, doubt was starting to cloud his mind. Perhaps, for safer precautions, he should force his great uncles to come with them to the party. It would be better that way, wouldn't it?

Leaderaur wouldn't have been leader of the manotaurs—the manliest creatures on the planet, by the way—for no explicit reason. And now that he has a power-up from the works of a most likely ultra-powered demon, there was no telling how the fight would go. Dipper could feel his resolve waver at the thought of being torn limb from limb by the humongous creature.

But that wasn't the only thought frightening him. There was also the considerably high probability that he could fail to retain Leaderaur, and that the manotaur would make it to the party. Pacifica could surely hold her ground if it was a one on one, but all the bystanders could get hurt. Plus, Mabel would be there as well, and Dipper was regretful to accept that he had faith that Bill would keep her safe from any direct or collateral damage if he couldn't do it himself.

Mabel's gentle melody cut through his racing thoughts. She hummed softly to ease the heavy tension that was weighing in the air. To her delight, Dipper was visibly calmed, rather than rigidly walking because of his current anxiety.

It was a mellow, simple tune this time, but her tunes always varied as much as her sweaters did. She inquired after they had trekked for a while, "Why isn't Grunkle Ford or Grunkle Stan helping you?"

"They don't need to," Dipper brushed off so she wouldn't have to worry. He never really liked feeling the nerve-wracking stress of anticipation based on chance alone, or finding all factors that could contribute to the solution of a problem. Nevertheless, he was dedicated to growing used to it, and he was already quite used to it. But he didn't have much belief that Mabel would be able to handle that much pressure and strain on her mind.

He added, "It may be a bit difficult, but this'll be good for improvement."

"Have fun hunting down a mega-cow!" Mabel poked his cheek, to which he grumbled and rubbed it curtly. Dipper arched a brow, "And where is Mr. Sunshine? Did he decide to ditch you?"

"Pfft! No!" Mabel rolled her eyes, "He's probably already at the party, starting the fun."

"I have a feeling his definition of fun won't be good…" Dipper paused, "Actually, I know it won't."

"I didn't expect you to think otherwise!"

"Right…" Dipper presented the massive gate that appeared in front of them, "Well, here we are."

"Whoa! Cool!" Mabel's eyes sparkled, "Is that a castle?!"

"No, just a display of how much Pacifica cheats at life," Dipper grumbled. Mabel elbowed him, "Stop being such a wet blanket, and let's get on with this thing!"

Mabel tugged at the gate, but it wouldn't budge open. It only rattled noisily, causing Dipper to flush in embarrassment. He held her wrist in place, "I'll just get us over myself."

"Good idea!" Mabel beamed, still feeling the excitement bubbling under her skin. Her brother gathered her up into his arms and sprung over the wall, before dropping her onto her feet. She squealed and shook her fists, "I can't wait!"

She ran forward and pushed opened the doors.

Neon lights blinded her as they flashed throughout the large, dark room. Pop and techno music blasted out her eardrums, and the cheering from the erratic mass of bodies had her attention. The smell of fruit punch and sweat were both highly disgusting and appetizing, both with their respective origin. Really, she wouldn't get hungry from people's sweat; that would just be gross.

Anyways, all of that was not happening; not in the least.

Her smile twitched at the tranquility and orderliness of this so-called party. Simple, white lights radiated from the glorious, ornate chandelier that hung above the vast, clean floor. Honestly, the floor showed a clearer reflection than her mirror.

The other "party-goers" were dressed in silks and riches, trying to up one another in both appearance and conversation. She could practically hear the snooty laughter from inside the heads of the guests. Also, it almost seemed like they were all riding on top of invisible high horses. Classy, live music came from the side, while tables were spread out with pure white sheets atop and fancy dinnerware. Mabel had never seen so many utensils paired with one plate in her life!

Although, the aroma of gourmet food wasn't on her list of complaints. Mabel licked her lips as she was about to take a step forward to the rows of beautifully decorated food. Yet, something grabbed the back of her dress, and she turned around to whine, "What's the big idea?!"

"You were about to ravage the buffet," Bill snickered as he released her from his grip, "I've really never seen so much saliva come from such a considerably tiny human."

Her face colored pink, "What're you talking about?"

Dipper indicated silently, so she turned back around. There was a butler dutifully mopping her shameful mouth-liquids until the floor was squeaky clean once more. Mabel scoffed to drag the attention elsewhere, "Why are we just standing around? Let's dance or something!"

Dipper subconsciously took a step in between his sister and the dream-demon. He piped up, "I also need to find Pacifica and her dad, or whatever."

"Really? Well, you're just in time," Bill said with a taunting smirk. Dipper grimaced at his mischievous demeanor while Mabel only cocked her head with curiosity. Suddenly, a tinkling interrupted the lively ambience of the room. A slightly old-looking, yet surely rich and powerful man stood atop the countless flight of stairs. He greeted with a booming voice, "Welcome all to my daughter's thirteenth birthday party, one-of-a-kind events where we feature her coming of age!"

He continued, "Please, feel honored to come to such a gathering. Tonight will be the night where we begin the opportunity for new links!"

Preston clapped once, "Yes, her hand is now available for marriage with whomever that she, or I, sees fit; whoever decides first!"

A round of applause ended as quickly as it came. Dipper felt an indistinguishable, discomforting pang in his chest at his words. Mabel puffed her cheeks and whispered in indignation, "She gets to be married at this age?"

Bill and Dipper both felt a pang this time. Her brother inquired quietly, "You want to be married now?"

"Could be fun, right?" Mabel blithely replied. Bill snorted, "That's stupid."

"For once, I…" Dipper trailed off as his eyes caught onto Pacifica, "...agree…"

"Oh my gosh, she's beautiful!" Mabel bounced as she commented. Her voice only mixed in with the rest of the whispers and remarks that arose from the guests. She glanced at Bill, inwardly relieved that he seemed unimpressed.

Then, she looked to her other side, and nudged her brother hard enough to make him whine about it. She gave him a smug grin, "Do I have to call back that butler?"

He grumbled incoherently. So, what if Pacifica was wearing the same amazingly crafted, gorgeous ball gown that accented her petite, yet slim body? And that her platinum blonde hair was held back in a loose-braided chignon as her side bangs framed her rather emotionless face; not one hair strand was sticking up? Plus, each step she took down the stairs was in sync with his steady, but oddly loud heartbeat.

Mabel's smile only widened as she lowered her height to Dipper's chest. She placed her hand over his heart, tapping it, "Ba-bump, ba-bump."

He lightly pushed her away, "Cut it out!"

Preston proclaimed, "We shall begin the dance soon! Please, enjoy some delightful snacks as you wait."

Next thing he knew, Pacifica was walking in stride towards them, with her father following closely behind. And abruptly, a wave of discomfort came from his lack of formal attire because of most of the beady eyes that turned their gaze upon him. Although, they disregarded him swiftly, expecting that he would only be kicked out within a moment's notice. Her father had a look of disapproval, but Dipper was more concerned with Pacifica's heated glare.

"What are you wearing?!" She hissed once she was directly in front of him. Mabel remarked faster than anyone could, "I told you so."

She stepped forward and beamed, "Happy birthday!"

His sister held up the present in her hands, "Look, I got you something!"

Pacifica eyed it up and down shortly, before beckoning a servant to take the gift and put it with the rest that were lying on a table. It looked like garbage amongst the posh and charmingly wrapped items. Dipper furrowed his eyebrows, "Is that a horse?"

"It's a pony, you simpleton," Her father told him rudely. Dipper's eye twitched at his brash insult while the older man brought his attention to the gifts. The male twin mouthed to his sister, "What's the difference?"

She only shrugged with indifference. Their focus was brought back to Preston as he demanded, "You were supposed to put that with the others in the stable!"

"Right away, sir!"

Preston huffed, before turning to the female twin. He eyed her warily, "Who are you, and what're you doing here?"

"She's my guest, buddy," Bill answered as he roughly shoved Dipper back, taking a step closer to the older man, "That's not a problem, right?"

"I suppose not…" Preston gulped discreetly and slightly shifted backwards. He never liked having conflict with these weird and stupid supernatural creatures that Gravity Falls unfortunately inhabited. At least this one had enough sense to dress respectably.

Mabel patted her brother on the shoulder, "I'll leave you to do your boring work, but consider my advice to join the party!"

"Where are you going?" Dipper questioned, to which Mabel licked her lips, "To those wonderful, tasty fountains over there!"

She giddily skipped over to the chocolate and cheese fountains with Bill lazily floating behind her, leaving Dipper to fend for himself. He uneasily shuffled at the two icy stares that drilled into his skull. Now he could see where Pacifica got her glare from. Dipper gave a blunt once over of what he could see, before commenting, "Neat place you got here, man."

"Enough with that!" Pacifica harshly tugged at his vest, "Why are you wearing these same rags? Don't you have anything nicer? Even your sister managed to try a little bit!"

"What can I say? They match my eyes," He sarcastically responded, before pulling the skin under one of his eyes and slightly sticking his tongue out. She seethed as her father grimaced. Pacifica snatched his wrist and gestured another servant to fetch him. She ordered, "Take this foolish boy to the dresser and get him a tuxedo. I'll see him there."

The butler nodded and silently began to drag away Dipper deeper into the mansion. However, he didn't go without letting out a few complaints, "No, don't! I don't need to dress up! This won't help me with my fight! Oh my gosh, I can feel my soul being sucked away from all the money!"

Pacifica gritted her teeth and facepalmed, as her father bared his own, "Do you regret your decision yet? Were you in the right mind when you hired that buffoon?!"

"Don't start this right now or anytime tonight," Pacifica pleaded as she kept her gaze averted, "He's got it covered."

Her exit was brusque since he didn't have the slightest chance to retort. Pacifica hastily found the room that Dipper was supposed to be in, and waited for him to come out of the stall. The rustling of clothes alerted her senses, and she felt a strange rush of emotions constrict her chest. There was a mildly attractive boy undressing right across from where she stood, but there was no way that she would dare to peek.

The curtain was pushed aside, and out came Dipper. She noted that the tuxedo was suiting him a little bit too well. Pacifica swallowed down the idiotic flutter of butterflies, and focused on the fact that he had a very ugly frown on his face. He pulled at his bow tie, "This will kill me before Leaderaur or you do."

He stepped in front of the body mirror, and resumed to struggle to tie his bow tie. She felt her face still a little heated at his dapper appearance, but chose to maintain her irked attitude. The blonde walked next to him with her arms crossed. He shot her a glare, "This is stupid."

"You're stupid," She muttered and forced him to face her. They both kept a glower as she fixed his bow tie without a hitch. Pacifica breathed, "I don't need you picking any fights except one with Leaderaur. Can't you just follow my orders for now?"

He bit his tongue at the desperation in her eyes. She managed to make a small, cheeky grin, "Please? It's my birthday, afterall."

Dipper was adamant as he folded his own arms and avoided her eyes. She forced out a beg, "Please, Dipper?"

He took a glimpse of her, before groaning in exasperation, "Alright! No kinds of fights with snobs."

"Thanks," She patted his arm awkwardly, "Now you can get to work."

He coughed into his fist, "I'll go do that."

After they entered the main room once again, Dipper wasted no time in exiting her mansion. Pacifica stared longingly at the doors he walked out of, but she shook out of those thoughts. Even though this celebration was for her, she still had duties, like the responsibility of attending to all of the guests. She fixed up a polite smile and made sure not to falter in her movements. Grace was the key to the lock of impression.

Meanwhile, Dipper had already found himself pretty distant from the mansion. Mabel was the reason that he hadn't arrived any earlier, but now, he could speed away all he wanted. Although he lived and stayed in a small city almost his entire life, the rushing wind and the smell of nature was something he was fairly accustomed to.

Once he was far enough into the forest, he decided to choose a tall tree where he could set up watch. Dipper leaped onto the branches with a fast pace, before stopping at the very last one on the top. There was waves of dark green below him, and the sun was barely in view anymore. Soon, the moon would be up, and the night would be reigned over by twinkling stars and a blanket of black and blue.

He sat back against the trunk and stretched his legs out, feeling quite a lot like a bachelor who was feeling petty after attending a wedding.

Reaching into his bag, he took out a Pitt Cola. Dipper snapped it open, enjoying the hiss that came from the carbonated, sugary soda. He gulped some of the liquid down, and wiped off whatever stuck to his lip.

It would be a long night.

* * *

"Cheese…" Mabel placed her soaked marshmallow underneath another running liquid, "Or chocolate…"

"Decide already!"

"You're holding up the line!"

"Alright, yeesh!" Mabel picked up her plate filled with snacks and left the row of food. She scanned the room for any extra chairs or tables, but found there was none. With as much dignity as she could gather, she chose to lean against the intricate walls at the far back of the room. All the guests were paying close attention to the classical music, anyways. She munched her food hungrily, before sighing out of boredom. Pacifica popped up next to her and also leaned on the wall, feeling exhausted from exerting so much self-control onto her protective reflexes and snarky remarks.

"Why're you worn?" Pacifica asked casually, "You don't seem to be the type."

"I'm all up for a good party, but, no offense, this party reeks," Mabel scrunched her nose. Then, she gobbled down all her snacks and cleaned her face with her arm. Pacifica wrinkled her own nose, "There was napkins on the table."

"Too late," Mabel shrugged with a sheepish grin, "Also, what's up with you? This party is all yours, but you don't seem to be enjoying it at all!"

"It's just a show, and I'm the main event," Pacifica said lowly. Mabel observed her for a moment, before replying, "Don't worry, Bill and I can bring a little bit of fun!"

The blonde was taken aback, "You're helping him?!"

"Why not?"

"He usually does stupid stuff that gets him kicked out."

Mabel kept her lovely smile, "We won't do anything too bad! Trust me when I say that he's not that bad of a dude."

"I'm… aware," It was Pacifica's turn to take a moment and observe the brunette. The blonde had practically known Bill her entire life, taken the fact the amount of times she had to chase him away from doing crimes and her expensive jewelry. He always seemed like the outcast type, never getting along with anyone. She rose a brow after a beat, "You got a thing for him, don't you?"

"Haha, what?!" Mabel appeared to be blown away by her assumption, "Pfft, what're you—I mean I—uh…"

"Wow, Mabel," Pacifica smirked into her hand, "You've got it _bad_ , hun."

"Got what bad?! I'm perfectly healthy! See my gums?!" Mabel pulled down her lip to show her pretty pink gums. Pacifica only faced away and held a hand to her cheek, "The good and the bad, how _scandalous_."

"Wha—?!" Mabel stomped her foot down and pointed a finger at the blonde, "Speak for yourself! I see the way you look at my dear bro-bro!"

"Excuse me?!" Pacifica blushed instantly, and Mabel knew that she had her. The brunette tapped her chin, "Should you be so surprised? I'd say that you have made a good choice!"

"I don't need you to tell me that!"

"Aha! So you admit it!"

"I admit nothing!"

They leaned in to glare at each other, before bursting out into chuckles and giggles. They spent more time conversing on trivial matters as they ran the clock. Topics like friends, school, work, fashion, and all kinds had come from their mouths. For Pacifica, it was relieving, because she'd never really had a friend that was a girl. Not that she'd say yet, but Dipper was the closest person she had that resembled a friend. Mabel didn't need to know that!

After a while, Preston's begrudging announcement interrupted their conversation, "And our next performer is... Bill Cipher!"

A round of applause came once again quicker than Mabel could register. But her mind only recognized that the object of her affections was going to be performing soon! She had to get in position!

Mabel stalked away towards the light switches before Pacifica noticed that she was gone from her side. The mere fact that Bill would be playing had stunned the heiress long enough so that she could prepare. Although, she didn't take into consideration that Pacifica would surge forward and watch up close.

All the way up at the front, Bill stood in front of the large crowd. He tightened his bow tie and fixed his top hat, before flexing his fingers. He sat on the bench and hovered his fingers over the piano.

Pacifica was flabberghasted. Since when did he know how to play the piano?!

Then, his fingers began dancing across the keys and started a wondrous song as if he was only talking. He began playing notes of all scales, hitting flats and sharps to add to the lighthearted melody, as if he was only walking. His tempo and his melody were perfectly timed as if he was only breathing. His playing was pure and utter music to the ears of all that listened. His face was neutral and his eyes were closed, appearing to be in deep concentration, as if afraid to break away from his mind-blowing performance.

But, of course, Bill Cipher would never be afraid to destroy a seemingly flawless performance.

The suddenly creepy grin was all Pacifica needed to know that this would not end well.

Bill rose his hands, and slammed them on the keys. The chords were sharp to the ears, and brought feelings of sadness to the hearts. It was dramatic, abrupt, and a total disruption of the calm tune.

Yet, that was just the beginning.

His hands were flying, no longer that fluid and elegant motion that produced majestic notes. The song was chaotic and tragic, just basically something no one would listen to but a madman or an emotional teenager. Out of nowhere, the lights began to turn off and on, creating an even more absurd atmosphere with the music. Pacifica recognized the fearful and disturbed feelings of the guests as Bill stuck his tongue out in a rather unruly style.

Mabel's whooping could be heard all the way from the back of the room. But her father's disappointed and angry glare was the only thing that had her attention.

Her blood simmered and her fists clenched. Those _imbeciles_!

As fast as lightning, Pacifica snatched both Bill and Mabel into her clutches, and unceremoniously kicked them out of her mansion. The doors slammed behind her, and she marched towards their fallen forms. She had such a terrifying look on her face, Bill couldn't help but chuckle while Mabel seemed genuinely guilty. She yelled at the brunette, "I can't believe you! And to think I was getting a little bit used to you!"

Mabel felt her breath catch in her throat, before she stammered out, "It was a-all in good fun…"

"Oh, fun my _ass_!" Pacifica snarled. The curse had escaped from her furious state, but she could barely care, "Grow up!"

Mabel felt her lip tremble and kept her tears in her eyes. She really wanted to be friends with Pacifica, but at the moment, she was barely acquainted with her! And doing this at her own party without actually personally knowing the girl was pretty cruel…

Oh, geez. How could she screw up like this?

"Hey, Llama, take your head out of your ass and listen," Bill stood up and brushed off blades of grass. He argued back with a dangerous glare, "This was obviously my brilliant idea, and I don't give a shit if you kick me out, but Shooting Star just wanted to make your boring party fun. So, try to not be such a dick?"

He gave a mocking, lopsided grin, before turning around. He distanced himself and floated on top of her wall, perching on the top. Pacifica steadily calmed down, even though his words stung.

The two girls were left by themselves to talk out the rest of the problem. Uncomfortable silence surrounded the duo and kept them quiet for more than necessary. The brunette rubbed her arm, before finally apologizing, "I'm sorry for ruining your party."

The heiress didn't respond. Mabel could feel a gush of more shame and sadness at the thought of losing a potential friend. Sure, one day, Pacifica might become Dipper's girlfriend, and they'd have to end up getting along. But she didn't want their friendship to be just based on tolerating each other for her brother.

No, she wanted to be _friends_ with Pacifica Northwest; maybe _best friends_ even. Yes, with that rich, bratty girl that has awkward social skills and good moral standards. They could do sleepovers and makeup and cooking and all sorts of stuff that she does with Grenda and Candy because what's better than having just two best friends? Three!

Although, she may have just screwed herself over for that chance.

Or so she believed.

Pacifica instructed, "Get off the grass; you'll get stains."

Mabel quietly did as she requested. Pacifica took the honor of fixing her dress for her by picking off the grass and fluffing out her skirt. Once she finished, she planted her hands on her shoulders. She hesitated, "I'm… sorry… for cursing out on you."

Pacifica dropped her hands to her sides. She seemed to be having a difficult time on deciding what to say, which Mabel found endearing because that meant Pacifica was quite a fixer-upper. With a little bit of friendship from good ole' Mabel, and a little bit of loving from Dipper, Pacifica would be just fine!

The heiress resumed, "This party is sucky, I know. But I have to deal with it. And what you guys did was so stupid that I freaked out…"

"Understandable," Mabel nodded; give her break, it was all she could say without it being a dumb response. Pacifica gestured, "You're welcome back inside if you want. We're going to start dancing."

"I'll keep that permission in mind, but right now…" Mabel glanced behind her, "I think I have someone to attend to."

"Have fun," Pacifica smiled, before wiggling her eyebrows, "but not too much fun."

They shared a laugh, before parting ways. Pacifica felt much lighter after forgiving Mabel, but the party was still clawing at her mind. Once she entered her mansion, guests were visibly perturbed and in distraught. She sighed and walked over to her father, "We can start the dances. I'll begin having them sign my dance card."

"Where are those two idiots so that I can wrangle them?!" Her mother came from the side. Pacifica soothed, "It's alright now, I don't think they'll be coming back for a while."

"Well, the show must go on," Preston concluded in a terse manner. He proclaimed, "Open up the doors to the ball room, it's time we dance!"

Outside the mansion, Mabel had positioned herself under where Bill sat, and called, "Can I get a hand?"

"No, I don't have any spares on me," Bill answered nonchalantly. Mabel re-worded her question, "Can I get some help?"

"I suppose you could if you asked properly."

"May I get some help?"

"With?"

Mabel narrowed her eyes, "Getting up there?"

"Sure," Bill bent over and clutched the hand she had stretched out, before flinging her over the wall. Mabel landed on her feet with a dizzy head and struggled to keep herself upright. Bill arrived beside her, so she collapsed onto him to keep herself stable. He pushed her away after she regained her balance.

She smacked him, "Why're we on the other side?"

"Why not?" Bill pointed around them and upwards, "Wouldn't you be more appreciative of the view?"

Mabel took one glance upwards, and found herself lost in the sea of imagery, "I take back my smack…"

Truly, the view was more open and easier to get lost in. The trees shadowed mysteriously as the forest went deeper. Green had never seemed like such a secretive color until now. There was a light, chilly breeze that often flowed through the grass and pass the couple. She gaped, "We seem so close to the sky."

"The perks of standing on top of a giant hill," Bill mentioned. They both spent a couple of moments to look up at the sky's natural lights, with Bill unsure as to why he was doing so. He's seen the stars way too many times to count, and he even began naming his own constellations. But mother nature just seemed to be more… enjoyable, for some reason.

Mabel fiddled with her fingers, "You know, they started dancing inside."

"And?"

"And…" Mabel combed her hair, "do you… want to… dance?"

Before he could answer, she blurted, "With me?"

Bill was staring at her with confusion, and Mabel could feel her face color once again. She laughed in a hysterical attempt to get out of the edgy silence, "But if you don't want to, we can just stand around and keep looking at the stars!"

"Shooting Star," Bill snorted, "I don't know where you got this weird expectation for me, but I don't dance."

Mabel was shocked, "You don't know how to dance?!"

"I never said that!"

"The only reason people don't dance is because they don't know how to dance!" Mabel asserted. She interrogated him, "Why don't you know how to dance?"

"Because it's just another useless human activity!"

"How would you know? You've never tried it before!" In a split second, Mabel grabbed his hand, yanking him closer to her. She had no idea where her abrupt amount of courage was coming from, but she hoped that it wouldn't run out anytime soon. She intertwined their fingers and placed her other hand on his shoulder, "Just place your hand on my waist."

Why on Earth was he doing this?

Bill looked down at her buoyant gaze, and her sweet, adoring smile. He always sees her with the same exact eyes and the same exact smile. Yet, there has been those rare times where he's seen her when her eyes are filled with swirling melancholy, and when her smile is no where to be found, a wretched frown in its place.

He _hates_ seeing it.

He grumbled, "Right… here?"

His hand grasped her waist gently, seemingly scared to hurt her by mistake. Mabel ignored that notion since Bill wasn't scared of anything, anyways. She nodded numbly, "Yeah…"

The moonlight was there spot light, and the trees felt like the crowd of people, staring at them in awe. Mabel whispered shyly, "Just follow my lead."

 _One, two, three._

Her body swayed to the imaginary music, and her feet nimbly followed a tempo of three. On the otherhand, Bill was stiff, and his movement was quite clumsy. He growled, "This is ridiculous."

 _One, two, three._

"Relax, would you?" She giggled, "I feel like I'm dancing with a brickwall."

"Oh, yeah?" Bill felt fired up at her challenge, "Well, this wall is about to show you how to really waltz!"

 _One, two, three._

She squeaked as he pulled her along. Their movements were deftly in sync with each other. Wherever she moved, he followed. And wherever he lead, she'd be in pursuit. Mabel was astonished at how quickly he was able to learn the waltz. It was unfair! She took a lot of time to learn this dance!

 _One, two, three._

Their dancing was suddenly skillful and full of finesse. Her dress swirled along with their circling movement, and managed to not trip either one of them. They gracefully danced as though they had danced together for years. Although they barely registered, they kept their eyes on each other, daring the other to break out of their synchronization.

 _One, two, three._

However, Mabel couldn't take his intense stare any longer. She opted to resting her head on his chest, not bothering to show that she was steadily growing tired from their vehement dance. A soft smile was apparent on her face as her heart was practically beating out of her chest.

She's never felt so content.

 _One, two, thr_ —

Bill was beyond surprised to find Mabel out of his grasp. She looked somewhat terrified and very much amazed. By what, he didn't know. He arched an eyebrow, "Shooting Star?"

Mabel was panting, from dancing or from shock, she didn't bother trying to figure out. She was currently trying to comprehend what she just heard.

She wasn't crazy. She wasn't!

She heard it!

She heard it from his chest!

 _A heartbeat._

* * *

Trees were thundering as they plummeted to the ground. The mighty roar of a beast tore through the night.

Dipper crawled from under the pile of trees, and gasped for air. He stabbed his sword into the dirt and coughed out crimson blood. He had not received a direct blow, but even though Leaderaur barely grazed him, the wind was enough to give a crushing effect. He wiped his mouth and hurriedly stood on his feet to take off, ignoring how his body ached and begged to rest.

Dipper breathed heavily as the skin on his hands scratched against the trunk. Beads of sweat trailed down the side of his face and hit the branch. He had difficulty hoisting himself up, but once he did, he turned around.

Dipper's dark eyes scanned the area over and over, hoping to spot any sign of the ferocious monster. He stood atop the tall pine tree, ignoring how his clothes would rustle against the chilly breeze. As always, the moonlight could provide only so much visibility to the area. He supposed he'd just have to deal with what he had.

Suddenly, he lost his footing as a fierce quake knocked him off the top. Dipper did a somersault in the air to land on his feet, stabilizing his balance on a branch that was below his original position. However, he was still high enough to survey some of the area.

He had to hold on to the tree in order not to yield to the intense rumbling beneath him. Dipper casted his gaze upwards, and his breath hitched immediately. Beady, crimson eyes stared him down, and if looks could kill, the brunette would be more than just six feet under the ground. This raw overflow of power was putting him at wit's end, and the suffocating dread that he may just be ended right then and there had him frozen as a statue.

For once, Dipper didn't know what to do.

He gulped, unable to process this amount of fear in his chest. It was definitely a terrible feeling to have.

Dipper hadn't realized he was vaulting away until he felt heat tickle the back of his neck, and perceived the wind blowing through his chocolate locks. Leaderaur was trying to follow after him, but it seemed that he couldn't exactly follow his swift movements, thankfully. The brunette sprinted away from the rampaging beast, who would definitely be in his pursuit after he completely caught his scent.

His constant, loud inhale and exhale filled the silence of the woods. He was on the verge of panicking.

 _Don't… panic..._

He consoled himself with relentless thoughts. Before he'd know it, he'd reach the grand mansion, and the sound of classical music would be soothing his nerves.

Dipper allowed the slightest surge of relief, before halting on another branch. He ran his fingers through his messy hair, throwing a glance over his shoulder. Billows of smoke from fire and clouds from dirt was far in the distance, but it wouldn't be long until Leaderaur would find him, and then find the party.

Pacifica would probably be really disappointed in him. Unfortunately, he can't help to restrain Leaderaur anymore.

Their fight may come sooner than later.

* * *

 **I hope the wait was worth it! Oh gosh, more things are happening!**

 **BILL HAS A HEARTBEAT? Pfft, Mabel freaks out when she doesn't hear a heartbeat, and freaks out when she does.**

 **WHAT HAPPENED TO DIPPER, AND HE CAN'T DEFEAT LEADERAUR?**

 **MABEL AND PACIFICA ARE GONNA BE BESTIES?**

 **What's going on?! What is going to go on next?!**

 **Don't ask me; I'm not saying anything!**

 **Until next time!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Tem Flakks(Guest): :o! :O! Thank yooooouuuuu!**

 **cesargarciadiaz99: Oh my, you actually scared me right there! I'm glad you love my fic, however! Bare with me, there will be much Dipifica now and in the future.**

 **Misha Cipher(Guest): oh, you'll see.**

 **MoonLunacy: ALL ABOARD!**

 **Paul Starhaven: Love, love, love… or is it?**

 **Guest: Oh my gosh, thank you for your understanding! Man, you're gonna LOVE how this plays out. (Or not. Don't hate me too much!)**

 **Mylittlechainsaws123: Nice name! It's cute, but vicious, like Star Butterfly from SvtFoE… or Buttercup from PPG. Anyway, THANK YOU!**

 **aerizel: OH MY GOSH ANOTHER UPDATE AFTER A LONG WAIT I'M SO SORRY. Also, knowing that I have that effect on you makes me very happy! I don't really assume that my fic reaches outside the boundaries of this site, so… xD**

 **Chykori: AAAH HELLO AND THANKS! Ooh, I wonder why he has such a thing like a heartbeat?**

 **Aqua Burst 07: I laughed at the "real boy" comment. Who knows? I certainly do… not… not know. Double negatives!**

 **ssnnooppyy: Will you try to smack me again I'm so sorry forgive me! HERE'S ANOTHER CHAPTER FOR YOUR SOUL!**

 **RyuAssassin: Thank you and thank you and thank you.**

 **maranoismylife: I'M BACK I'M BACK I'M BACK AGAAAAAIN SORRY FOR THE WAIT.**

 **I love ships, but I love story too. I love to love the actual characters, and not just the ships itself. That's why I include the ever-growing plot, character development, and bonding between characters with not just their respective romantic partners, but also their family and friends. I'm sorry if the pairings take a** _ **bit**_ **longer than you'd like it to, but at least they'll be "canon" without a doubt!**

 **Sometimes, they'll need a little bit more of a reason to be canon then just being cute…**

 **Dun, dun,** _ **dun**_ **.**

 **Mwuahahahaha.**

 **Man, this chapter. Brace yourself.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

There was no way he could have a heartbeat; he has no heart! But she swore on her life that she heard that single pulse beat in his chest and travel to her ear. Bill wasn't the type to lie, per se, but he mostly twisted his words so that the truth would be confusing to understand. However, he told her directly that he had no heart, without a trace of deceit or sarcasm.

Yet, did he know that there was now a quite very evident thrum in his chest where the heart is usually located?

And then, she realized, there was a very plausible chance that _he didn't know_. How did the heart appear in the first place? And why was he unaware?

It would only be right to inform him, afterall. It was his body; his freshly apparent heart can't just be left unknown. But how would he react to this information? She herself could barely fathom that he had a beating heart just like every other creature that lived on Earth.

Except maybe vampires.

But still, since he had a pulse now, did that mean when he loses his pulse...

... _he'll die?_

"Hellooo? Shooting Star?"

Bill was staring at her with great suspicion.

Mabel racked her brain for a valid excuse, before darting her eyes behind her supposed date.

"There's… there's fire and smoke behind you!"

As Bill turned around to check, she mutely breathed out in relief. Suddenly, genuine worry surged through her. She voiced, "Dipper was out there…"

Just after she spoke, her brother popped out of the woods. His clothes were dirtied and torn, and his backpack was missing, but his face didn't seemed pained. Recognizing his sister in the open, he bolted over to where she stood, passing by Bill without a second thought. He clutched her shoulders and spoke urgently, "You need to get inside now; if not, outside the area completely."

"Why?" Mabel was perplexed, "What's going on?"

"What's going on," Bill piped up, catching both of their attention, "is that your dear brother here failed to stop Leaderaur."

He had a smug, mocking grin, as if not caring about the inevitable danger that everyone would be put into very soon. Mabel frowned, "Is that true? Is that why you look so beat up?"

His mouth struggled to form the words, so he casted his gaze downwards, "It is."

Dipper shook his head and looked back up, "But I'm here now to get Pacifica and to warn everyone. Do you know where she is?"

"Yeah, she's inside the mansion, but they're in the middle of dancing right now."

Dipper arched his eyebrow, "Who cares about dancing?!"

With that, Dipper hopped over the wall and rushed into the mansion, leaving his sister and Bill to make their own decision. Mabel didn't look at the dream-demon, "We should go inside, too."

Bill floated next to her, eye scanning her petite form. Lately, he had been having after difficult time reading her mind. It was like something was blocking his power from entering her cranium. It used to be quite easy before, only with little difficulty that he just brushed off. Now, it was just seemingly impossible.

If she was truly a mystery, she was quite impractical.

"If you insist."

Bill lifted her by hooking under her arms and carrying her to the other side of the large, sturdy wall. They walked towards the doors of the mansion, silence taking over what was once their wonderfully whimsical ambience. Mabel grumbled silently at the fact. She hadn't wanted their mood to go down the drain so abruptly. The shock went through before she could even control herself. Maybe there was still a way to fix this. A suggestion ran through her mind when she glanced upwards.

"You know, maybe we can sit up there," Mabel pointed to the balcony above them. She reasoned, "We don't have to go inside the room; we'll just watch from there as Pacifica starts fighting. Like, a better view."

"That's not a bad idea at all," Bill smirked. He suddenly yanked Mabel close to him and placed his arm under her waist. They were soaring upwards before she could even blink, then he let her land on the balcony. There was a faint blush on her cheeks, yet she hoped that he couldn't see. Mabel pulled off her heels swiftly. She took a seat on the floor and pressed her face in between the bars of the railing. Her dress was pushed up as her legs hung freely. Luckily, she was wearing shorts underneath, so it wasn't too weird.

Silence was still reigning, however. It was just plain uncomfortable. Then, she remembered.

Mabel gripped the bars of the rails, "I need to keep up my part of the deal, right?"

Bill understood right away what she was referring to. His tone was light, despite how unexpected their night had went, "Well, that's what a deal is, isn't it?"

"Okay, here we go," Mabel cleared her throat. She'd rather not look at Bill as she told him what happened. It wasn't a good story to tell, now that she thought about it. Why did she promise this story again? Nevertheless, if she had to weigh the good things with the bad things that had happened tonight, there wasn't that much of a difference. Yet, she believed that the better things that happened were quite remarkable. She was closer friends with Pacifica, and she even got to share a dance with Bill.

So, this was worth it, wasn't it?

"It was last year when our parents died. My brother and I were forced to move here from California since we had no other relatives," She looked up to the night sky. Her fingers were subconsciously playing with each other now. Bill leaned against the railing and watched as her mouth moved to speak.

Mabel explained, "Our small city… it was attacked by weird monsters and stuff; they completely burned down the buildings and killed everyone they saw. But we escaped somehow, and ran as fast as we could."

Mabel shifted slightly in her position, "I know it's not… it's not the nicest story to tell… but a deal is a deal."

A beat.

"You really didn't have to tell me that, Shooting Star."

Another beat.

"...I wanted to."

He shook his head, "I think the oddest creatures are you and your kind."

She smiled at the stars.

He frowned at the earth.

Her city was attacked? Out of all the cities in that large state, it was that city that had been destroyed into nothing but ashes and memories. He questioned, "And then nothing happened after that?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean, what happened to the beasts? What did the officials do?"

"The beasts… well, they disappeared by the time the officials sent their fighters. And then Dipper and I kept getting, like, a bunch of questions and interviews that were super personal and complicated. It was really annoying."

Mabel seemed much more content in her tone as she spoke, "In the end, I still get sad thinking about it, but I never knew how wonderful Gravity Falls was."

She quietly mentioned, "And I got to meet you."

Bill groaned, "Too much sap. You're gonna regret those words sooner or later."

"Nope!"

And so they went on with Bill telling her tales of awful deeds he's done, with Mabel often commenting keenly. All the while, however, Bill made sure to digest all the information that he had just learned. It'd be useful, no doubt. Not to mention critical, since this added to his skepticism with the twins and their strange souls.

Recently, he'd been dubious to Dipper's soul, as well. There was something off-putting about it—now that he's stuck around long enough to discern—but not as much as his sister's. He was certain that the attack on their city would have something to do with their souls, and especially with Mabel's.

Yet, he pushed the musing aside for later, and let himself enjoy these little moments with this human girl, no matter how useless or worthless they were supposed to be.

Why? Who knew. He only knew that it was just… fulfilling.

He realized that living life for infinity was downright tedious. And he never regarded the fact it impacted his personality. Dull and apathetic, always attempting to make things fun with mischief. Humans were simple, the world changed constantly, even when there would be unavoidable devastation in a billion years or so. Death, war, conflict, chaos… it was all the same. Happiness was short, and hope was false.

Nevertheless, Mabel made it seem like none of that existed. So, for once, it actually became fun trying to be cynical about this world, because he knew that she'd never believe him for a second.

Meanwhile, Dipper had long entered the mansion, and was searching for the headmistress. The main room was vacant, and plates of food and napkins were left to be disposed of. A few servants were attentively cleaning the tables. Dipper went up to one of them, "Where did everyone go?"

"Down the hall, to the left, sir," The butler pointed in a specific direction. Dipper thanked him and ran off into the hallway, before opening another set of luxurious doors.

He didn't bother to scan the magnificent ballroom, and only pushed past the wide crowd that encircled the ballroom floor. There, in the center of them all, was Pacifica. She was dancing away with some unknown young man without a hitch in her step. The dress flowed with her flawlessly as she followed the tempo of the music. It didn't seem like anyone noticed her sullen expression while hey eyes were forced to lock with her partner's.

Cupping his mouth, he called out over the loud classical music, "Pacifica!"

Suddenly, someone plucked at his collar, jerking him back. Dipper rubbed his neck tenderly and glared at the offender. It was a young man much taller than him, who had his chin high as he glowered at the brunette. He spat, "Hey buddy, the dance isn't over yet!"

"So? This place is about to be attacked soon," Dipper seethed. Some other male scoffed, "Grand excuse, peasant. I suppose there's also raining walnuts as big as your brain."

There was a collection of snooty laughter as Dipper was in disbelief. He threw his arms up, "This isn't the time for your lame, rich people jibes! I need to speak to Pacifica right now!"

"If you want money, just run as charity case!" Someone else jeered, "I'm sure it won't be too much of a hassle for you!"

More laughter ensued. Dipper was immediately peeved at their barbs towards himself, but they had just belittled Pacifica, too. His shoulders tensed, "Is that all you see her as? A way to get a quick buck?"

Out of nowhere, Preston stepped up from behind the gathering of young men. He scowled, "Are you trying to scare off my guests?"

"He couldn't if he tried."

"More like an ugly puppy if I ever saw one."

Dipper growled, "This is serious! Pacifica needs to get ready for the attack!"

Preston sighed, "I knew you were pathetic the first moment I saw you. Even trying to be a con like that old bag of forgotten bones for a great uncle? You aren't fooling anyone, boy."

"Don't you _dare_ bring up my family," Dipper snapped, "They don't need to be spoken by your foul mouth, nor should you try to look down on anyone. Heck, you probably don't even know what it's like to care for someone that isn't yourself."

Preston huffed and only disregarded the brunette just as Pacifica's dance ended. While he trudged away, Dipper faced the boys once more, "Now can I go?

Another boy rolled his eyes at him, "Did you not look at her dance card? It's obviously too full for anymore. And even if there was space, it's not available to the likes of you."

There was a chorus of agreement that sounded. Dipper felt his eye twitch, "I almost don't want to get Pacifica to let any of you live."

Oh, how most of these wealthy people infuriated him greatly. He jabbed his finger into the chest of the first lad who spoke to him, "But since I happen to be a _nice_ person with a _kind_ heart and _good_ morals, maybe I won't let you get ripped apart as casualties."

Before anyone could stop him, he rushed over to where Pacifica stood. A multitude of appalled gasps sweeped around the vast room. Preston hissed, "That _boy!_ "

Dipper didn't even hesitate as he took her hand in his and placed his other hand upon her waist. She was stunned to the point where the music had already begun playing before she could protest. He tugged her forward and started to dance to the tempo of the waltz.

"Pacifica?" He whispered to her as he led her around the room. She blinked a few times to reassure herself that this was _actually_ happening. Sure, she may or may not imagined dancing with him, but out of all times, why now? She replied all-too calmly, "Are you insane?!"

"More like desperate," He shrugged his shoulders, much to her vexation. He twirled her around deftly, "Listen, you need to get outside right away. Leaderaur is coming."

"He is? You didn't stop him?" Her question stung a little bit more than it should've. It was different hearing it come from her mouth. He exhaled, "No, I didn't."

He felt a pang of guilt. She seemed disappointed, at the least, "You expect me to leave my party so easily?"

"Well, yes."

Pacifica's eyes were glued onto her father's. There were wrinkles on his forehead as his nose flared. Mad… would be an understatement. She feared for the worst. It may not be just her who would face punishment, but Dipper could, too.

"Can't we wait for the dance to end?"

"What?!" Dipper did a discreetly sharp twist, one that nearly made Pacifica falter in her steps. She glared, and he was glaring back. He asserted, "This isn't the time for _dancing!_ This was the only way I could contact you directly, and you won't even do anything?!"

"It will be _fine!_ " She did her own harsh pull, knowing that no one would notice, "If all you're gonna say is out of fear, then don't say anything at all. Just shut up and dance with me!"

From afar, the guests had no idea what conversation was happening between them. They could only make out that the boy with the terribly filthy yet expensively tailored tuxedo was able to fairly match the sophisticated pace that was the waltz. Pacifica had no trouble at all, as well, seeing that she practiced more times than she could count. They were able to blend with each other's fluid movement so very well, that much of the visitors were incredulous at the fact.

"How do you know how to dance?" Pacifica inquired after a short while.

"Well, when you have a sister that watches a lot of Princess movies," Dipper implied, "you're gonna be forced to do some things."

"Sounds horrifying."

"It was."

Despite the way their topic of discussion had considerably lightened, he was no more relaxed than she was. They were wasting time! It would only be a matter of seconds until—

Suddenly, there was trembling beneath their feet, causing the majestic lights to flicker above them. The music stopped instantly on a disturbing flat note, and bursts of alarmed shouts arose from the crowd. Dipper knew right away.

"It's him."

There was a contour of a monumental figure matching the height of the opulent mansion. Dipper charged out the doors, allowing Pacifica to regain her thoughts and follow after him. Preston and Priscilla were in pursuit of their daughter, out of curiosity and fear. The rest of the inhabitants of the mansion trailed behind, unaware of what was to happen next.

* * *

Mabel's giggling shook with the rumbling of the earth, "Whoa, what's goin' on?"

She rose onto her feet while gripping on the rails, laughing at the weird vibration. Bill didn't seem the least bit amused as he held a solemn stare out into the darkness. The quaking was rhythmic, one after the other. She poked his stomach and joked, "Uh? Hungry, or something? Or angry? Or are you… _hangry?_ "

Mabel barely got a few chuckles out until Bill pushed her behind him. She whined, "Hey!"

Her smile vanished as soon as an enormous figure appeared on the hill. It breathed heavily, creating it's own gusts of wind that she could feel all the way from up on the balcony of the mansion. She clutched onto Bill's arm and shivered. The air was warm, but she could only feel a cold, fierce sensation that was oozing from the massive shape. The feeling was like when she was near Giffany, near Gideon, and during her city's attack.

Within seconds, the main gate opened dramatically as Dipper exited the building, then all the others from the party were behind him. Mabel knew that they were supposed to stay up on the balcony, but now that her brother was up in front, it made her uneasy that she would only be watching. Not like she could do much when the fight broke out, but she just wanted to be at level ground with everyone. She silently urged Bill to take her down as well, to which he did speedily. Why did he push her behind him, anyway?

The two Soul Fighters stepped outside the boundary of the walls and in front of the figure. Pacifica stood beside Dipper and inquired in a hushed voice, "That's Leaderaur?"

"And you're Pacifica Northwest?" The manotaur assumed, before letting out a boisterous guffaw. She grimaced, finding her words caught in her throat. He stomped, forcing all other smaller bodies to temporarily be lifted into the air, "Since I was requested so graciously, I demand that you fight me to the death!"

"Oh, no! Not here! Get off of our property, you barbaric cow!" Preston commanded. All heads whipped to the two older Northwests that stood far from the rest of the group. Pacifica was terrified, "What are you doing?!"

"Listen to the little girl, old man," Leaderaur clenched his fist, "I could crush you in a heartbeat."

"You should be the one listening to us! If you fight our daughter, do it somewhere else!" Priscilla declared. Her husband pointed back to the forest, "Leave now before your ugly destroys our home!"

Pacifica was in complete and utter outrage at their words. They didn't care at _all_ that she could die from fighting this monster. All they cared about was the fact that their beloved mansion could be ruined into shambles. Her sorrow must have shined through, because Leaderaur had taken her lack of response as disinterest. He inhaled, feeling irked at being underestimated, "I smell the blood of Northwest inside your veins. Your parental figures, huh?"

He pitched his arm back, "Maybe this will stimulate you!"

His fist was aimed at her parents…

 _...and they would die…_

Then, another gust of wind passed by her side as she found herself staring at Dipper's back.

 _...but what did she care—?_

"Don't just stand there!"

Dipper's urgent voice was shattering.

" _Get out of the way_!"

With a rough, powerful shove, he pushed her parents out of the way from Leaderaur's incoming attack. Before he could recover from his impulsive action, a monstrous force blew him straight through the walls of the Northwest mansion, swallowing him in a world of pain and darkness. Pacifica felt her entire being go numb.

Bill couldn't deny the distress signals in his head as Mabel screamed.

" _DIPPER!"_

Her voice rose above the cries of the guests that were rapidly fleeing back into the mansion. Pacifica even spotted her parents retreating, although she noticed how her mother had to pull along her stiff father. Leaderaur only paused to guffaw maniacally with his gruff voice, taking pleasure of everyone's fear. Bill sneered; the demonic power given to the manotaur had already consumed his mind and soul.

Mabel slipped out of Bill's grasp and bolted over to where her brother lied, who was unconscious and bleeding. Her body only moved on its own, her mind didn't comprehend the impending doom she was putting herself into. She chose to race through the open gate and found her brother surrounded by debris. Skidding on her knees, she halted beside Dipper and scanned him with frantic eyes.

Her breathing was erratic. Her mouth was slightly agape. She was trying to find any sign of life in his unmoving state.

But she _couldn't_.

He was deathly still. Most importantly, his chest wasn't indicating any signs of movement. His hair covered his eyes while crimson liquid streamed down from his head.

And suddenly, the world grew a little _warmer_.

Her teeth pressed together and her shoulders trembled with the ever-growing heavier atmosphere. Narrowed and darkened, her eyes still flickered with an odd light. Bill and Pacifica could almost bend a little under the intense sensation that emitted from Mabel.

A myriad of emotions surged through her: Fear, confusion, disbelief…

... _and simmering_ _ **rage**_ _._

 _How dare he? How dare he? How dare he—?_

A simple, gentle touch on her shoulder violently jerked her out of her enraged trance.

" _Mabel_ ," Bill stated, "calm down."

His voice was indifferent, lacking any kind of sympathy or empathy for her current distraught state of mind. Nonetheless, she significantly felt her mind sobering up from her previous fury. Her breathing slowed to a normal, constant rate, and she blinked her eyes a few times. There was a strange, light feeling centering in her chest and coursing through her body, however.

All of her swirling, fervent emotions blended to create only just two: sadness and worry.

Tears brimmed her eyes, and she sniffed, "Dipper's not moving…"

Bill responded, "Of course he's not. He's knocked out and probably internally bleeding."

"Here, I kept some on me just in case," Pacifica arrived up on her other side, holding a vial with the gracious, red liquid. She had her own look of apprehension: forehead crinkled and eyes glossed over with remorse. However, Mabel instantly smiled, "Thank you!"

As the brunette was having her brother drink the red liquid while he was out cold, Bill casted his burning glare upon Pacifica. A snarky smirk was playing upon his lips, "Where'd the ever-so fierce headmistress run off to? Thanks to her, this idiot boy was terribly injured, and her parents were nearly killed."

He already expected for her not to have a proper response. Her mind was muddled by hate, and was bewildered by Dipper's heroic actions.

But Leaderaur cleared it quickly, "The boy's right! Look at you—you pathetic, inferior girl! I expected at least half a challenge, but all I received was a heaping pile of disappointment!"

Something snapped in her head as she rose to her feet, fists clenched and head hung low. Leaderaur acknowledged her change in attitude right away, "What's wrong?"

Abruptly, he appeared a lot closer to them, and he leaned down to mock Pacifica. His nostrils exhaled smoke, and the wind that came with it was severe, "Are you mad?"

 _Was she mad?_

With her leg full of soul essence, she twisted her hips back, before kicking the manotaur's face with all the might she could muster.

 _Yes._

 _But why?_

His hooves dug into the dirt as he held himself down from the force. He had a lopsided grin, "Is that all you—?!"

Another fervid kick straight to his tough jaw shut him up once more. Pacifica landed on her feet at a certain distance away from the manotaur. Unbeknownst to her, a snarl replaced his grin, yet she still felt the passionate anger that was radiating from him instead of his pesky arrogance. She decided that her emotions should also be known, and looked up at the beast.

Her signature glare had never been so _icy_.

"That first kick…" Her voice was chilling, "was for insulting me."

Without a second thought, Pacifica bundled up the skirt of her beautiful dress and ripped it off, before throwing it to the side. All that was left was her white pantalettes and the top of what once her special birthday gown.

"That second kick," Her voice grew more vicious, "was for making my friend upset."

Mabel couldn't help but express a tiny grin at the words Pacifica uttered. She wiped away the tears that threatened to fall from before. Bill still had a smirk apparent on his face, but with more triumph at his own success for prompting her to start fighting.

"And I will _make_ you _**regret**_ hurting Dipper," She affirmed, feeling a swirl of power deep within her. It was unexplainable, but she would not hold back.

So, what if this creature was the manliest thing to live at the moment? He would face her _wrath_.

Leaderaur had had enough with their exchanged remarks, and began to charge where she stood. She skillfully dodged the incoming blow, where the ground behind her ripped in half. Mabel held her arm in front of her face and looked away as dust flurried against her cheeks. Bill only watched with great enthusiasm and cheered, "It would be a bad time to think about your mortality!"

Pacifica ignored his comment, and leaped up to kick Leaderaur hard in the chest, to which he was sent flying. The beast tumbled down the hill and out of sight, yet the headmistress desired to keep him there. Pacifica drew out her sword from a glimmering light and had burst forward into the coverage of the forest. Her main goal was to lead him away from civilians and property, then to end him once and for all.

She barely dodged a blow that flew out from the darkness, before another strike went for her side. It collided with her sword that was swiftly placed to protect her, but she was still blown away into another part of the forest.

Pacifica rolled along the ground before using her heels to dig into the dirt. She casted her gaze up in time to evade a wide trunk that was hurled her way. Perching on top of a branch, she examined the area for any sign of the beast.

She didn't know exactly where, but his voice came from below, "You can't see me, little girl! The night is my cloak!"

Pacifica whirled her head around in attempts of finding the monster. She only saw two crimson orbs, before another punch was thrown her way. Her body crashed into a thick branch of a different tree, causing her to cough out blood.

Long locks of pale blonde flew in front of her face, meaning that the hairbands that held her chignon had fallen off or snapped. The only thing left from her elegant updo was a braid on each side beyond her temple, loosely tied to each other behind her head. Wiping her mouth, she forced herself onto her feet.

Her whole body was hurting, but her side had it worse. It was like her muscles and bones turned into warm, strained mush. If not for the adrenaline swimming in her blood, she may not even be able to stand. Taking another potion from her pantalettes, she gulped it down hurriedly.

Only one more left…

His cackle echoed against the trees, rustling the leaves and scaring away the woodland creatures. She closed her eyes and leaned against the trunk of the tree. Pacifica could feel the dreadful, chilly feeling trickling along her skin. From all the years of fighting the dark creatures, she always felt the same minute prickling of bleakness. It suffused the pitch-black area enclosing her, just like Leaderaur as he could be anywhere within the darkness. There must be a way for her to fight back with equal advantage…

And to her amazement, she found it. Or at least, she guessed this was it.

Pacifica couldn't really name it, but her scar was tingling strangely, then she could feel another tingling from afar. It seemed as if when she felt it on herself, she could pinpoint the specific location of the corresponding tingling. Her decision was instantaneous; her best guess was this weird sensation.

Her body took action as a muscular arm passed underneath her like a bullet shot in the dark. She couldn't believe it; the tingling _was_ sensing Leaderaur. And it helped her avoid getting punched into oblivion.

Perhaps that wound from Giffany really did do something beneficial for her. She hadn't thought much of it back then when her scar reacted the same way it was doing now when it came to the metal fork. What she was sensing back then was that Giffany was still sentient and full of power. Now, it was her own unique way of tracking down dark monsters like Leaderaur.

A grin made its way onto her lips as she watched Leaderaur turn around in puzzlement. Since she could practically see her target, it was her turn to attack.

The manotaur howled as black blood spurted from his arm. A new, extensive gash ran across his flesh. Another cry escaped his mouth when his leg was stabbed deep enough to where he felt the tip of her sword reach his bone. He bellowed, "Damn brat! Stop moving!"

He slammed the ground, creating fissures and uprooting trees. Thunder resounded as the trees smashed into each other. They plummeted to the ground, brewing up storms of dirt. Then, he immediately caught a whiff of her scent. Taking in large quantities of air through his nose, he blew out violent bursts of vivid flames. Pacifica maneuvered through and over the fallen trunks as he followed her trail with blaze, trying to engulf her in his fire.

She vaulted onto a slightly higher elevated trunk and aimed her sword at his face. However, he turned his head faster than she expected, and she only had a millisecond to somersault into a dive. The heat grazed her briefly, but a sudden, painful sting centered in her lower back. The surprise caused her to lose focus and sloppily land on the ground. Unable to regain her balance, she toppled over onto her knees. She crawled away to sit and hide behind one of the trees, while smelling the stench of ash.

Then, she realized, her _hair_ was on _fire_. Without a moment's notice, she clutched the section of her hair that was closest to the burning locks, and sliced below her hand. She dropped her once beautiful platinum tresses onto the dirt, observing as they were dying to the fire that ate at it.

Her look was slightly crestfallen as she watched it burn. Before she could halt her actions, her hand reached behind to feel her hair. Instead of its usually length at her hips, it unevenly stopped in the middle of her back.

Well, there was no use mourning about it, now. There was a ferocious beast to be slain.

Perhaps being a little vindictive wouldn't be too out of the ordinary. Having your hair cut was a normal occurrence, after all. Although, she had not given her consent. It seemed quite trivial to become vengeful about it… but when it adds onto to her other list of reasons that she mentioned earlier… it just topped it all.

With a brisk flare of soul essence, Pacifica sprung up and roundhouse kicked Leaderaur hard enough that he collapsed onto his back. She demanded, "Ever wonder what it _feels_ like to lose a part of yourself?!"

He let out a deafening roar that made her double over because of a splitting headache that immediately came. In an attempt to lessen the pain, she blocked out her ears as much as she could until he stopped. As she was recovering, Leaderaur rose onto his feet and stuck his hand into his chest. Green, sticky goo was still connected to his hand while he pulled out a worn, yet lengthy spear. However, she didn't waver in the slightest. Whether it be for herself, or for Mabel and Dipper, she would win this battle.

Her body took its signature stance as her sword appeared at her hand. Leaderaur did the same. They were stationary; keeping their eyes on the other's form.

Simultaneously, they launched at each other with the intent of being the one to win. He swung his spear at her with an unexpected swiftness, to which she evaded gracefully. The trees were sliced in half as the wind was sharp and thin enough to cut straight through, leaving more crackling booms to reverberate throughout the area.

Pacifica would also try to attack, but he wouldn't allow it. His style with his spear was as brash as his regular, bare-handed combat. Every swing he made produced a bigger impact that affected not only her, but to her surroundings. She was continually having to adapt to flying debris and quaking that caused crevices and newly formed terrain. He had minimal amount of trouble keeping up with her path. If not for her advanced speed, she could have been dead long ago.

Their clashes of metal against metal also rang in her ears. The blades emitted sparks as they scratched against each other and bounced off from the force that was put in. Of course, he had a lot more strength to use than she did. She had some difficulty preventing herself from soaring because of the immense power loaded into each blow he gave.

But with her newfound power, she was able to keep up with her own force. Plus, zooming around him like a diminutive pest also assisted her in staying in battle. Unfortunately for her, he only had to stand in a single general spot to parry her attacks.

Pacifica felt a sweat break onto her face. This was bad. She was steadily growing tired.

She leaped over another swing, and deflected the next. Yet, Leaderaur twirled his spear faster than she could register, and the rod of the spear sent her flying towards a whole new part of the forest. Groaning, she perceived the particles of dirt sifting through her fingers, the tough surface of a tree trunk against her back, and a wetness streaming down her forehead and past her cheek, tickling her neck. Her chest was throbbing, and her face was aching. She could barely move from her intolerable position.

Using her hand, she fixed her dislocated jaw with a few tears spouting onto her eyes. She took out her last potion, and gulped it down.

It felt like forever until she could finally move again. Pacifica wasted no time to find refuge behind a different tree. Why did that take so long?

Deciding to save that pondering for another time, Pacifica had to figure out a way to stun Leaderaur long enough so that she could end him. She thought back to the injuries she had inflicted so far. None of them seemed to have the kind of effect that she needed. He had appeared to have healed already, or he was quite very tolerant to the pain after a while. For a moment, she needed to think like Dipper would. He'd know where to aim for… or what she needed to aim for.

His body was sturdy, his face was nearly impossible to get close to…

Then, it hit her. Those large, pointy horns ought to be her ticket to success. Summoning her weapon, she breathed out her trepidation. The ground rumbled as Leaderaur approached her hiding place. She was well aware he knew where she was. But she still needed to time this strike as precisely as she could.

There was an audible sound of skidding on dirt, before she felt the intense mass of dark energy behind her. In a split second, she jumped to the side as the spear stabbed right through the tree and into the earth. Within a moment, Pacifica sprinted to where he stood and sprung up, sword ready to strike. However, she couldn't reach him in time as a brawny hand attempted to swat her away. So, once she dodged it, her path changed course.

Thinking fast, Pacifica sliced through the wooden rod of his spear as she descended. Leaderaur only examined it briefly, then threw it to the side with a growl, "I'm my own weapon!"

He scratched his hoof into the dirt, before charging straight at her with a battle cry that sounded like the typical bull. His weight trembled the ground as he trampled on everything that was in his way. Pacifica only stood unmoving in her position, body poised and prepared to counter.

 _Closer_ …

Leaderaur grinned maniacally. She made no movement.

 _Now!_

Shifting her foot, she sprung straight into the air at the last second, and seized hold onto his black fur. The wind was rushing past her ears at great speed as Leaderaur spun around to find her. Pacifica recognized the bulging neck and musky breath that was afar. She had landed on his shoulder.

Not allowing another second to pass, she burst from her spot. Much to her elation and fortune, her sword sliced cleanly through the horn.

An agonized bellow blew her further upwards, allowing her to fly in the night. She watched the separated bone slide off and plunge into the earth. Leaderaur held the location on his head with the lack of horn and fell onto his back. Pacifica's eyes widened; this was her opportunity!

Holding her handle with both hands, she let out a battle cry as she began to descend upon the fallen beast. His heart—she had to hit his heart, or this was the end for her.

Pacifica was rapidly gaining speed, and she even felt the friction from the air heat up her form. Her eyes squeezed on reflex and teared up from the force of gravity.

Before she knew it, she pierced straight through his body. And for a moment, all she could see, smell, and feel was the thick liquid of black blood. Had she succeeded in hitting her target? Or was this what death was truly like?

Then, a resonating explosion enveloped her senses.

When she opened her eyes, she was met with the luminous glow of the moon. Shortly after, droplets of liquid hit the ground momentarily. All was silent, except for the clattering of her sword against the dirt, before it disappeared.

She inhaled.

 _She survived the fight._

She exhaled.

 _She won._

And so, she smiled.

* * *

When Pacifica was hastily traveling back to the mansion, she didn't know what to expect. Peeking through the window, she surveyed the room to the best of her ability. There were all of her numerous guests huddled up in the back, whispering amongst themselves. And her parents were on the verge of tearing the Pines limb from limb. Mabel sat next to her brother as he laid down on the flat, solid surface. But for some reason, seeing Dipper conscious was enough to dampen her eyes and inspirit her. She wiped her eyes discreetly and entered through the doors. All eyes turned to her.

Pacifica cheered, "He is no more!"

Mabel clapped, but no one else did. Dipper was smiling, however. Bill rose an eyebrow, "I've seen you in a better state."

The headmistress looked down to confirm her disheveled appearance. Black blood clung to her and stained her white pantalettes. Her clothing was ripped in certain areas, barely keeping some of her skin covered. As for her hair, it was tangled, choppy, and jagged at the ends. Scratches varied in multiple places on her body, and dirt smudged her face. She looked like a complete mess.

Pacifica ignored their scrutinizing stares and walked over to where Dipper laid. His smile made her heart flutter uncontrollably. His voice was soft, unlike the last time she heard him speak.

"You did it."

She couldn't help but smile again, "I did, didn't I?"

Suddenly, Mabel and Bill's stares made her feel very self-conscious. She corrected with color on her cheeks, "I-I mean, of c-course I did! Did you expect any less from me?!"

She folded her arms and huffed, turning her head elsewhere. Mabel giggled at her change in attitude, but it didn't last long as Preston stepped forward, "Pacifica Elise Northwest, what have you got to say for yourself?"

"Oooh, things are about to get interesting," Bill chimed. Mabel shot him a glare, to which he only shrugged. Pacifica paid them no mind, and continued to face her father.

"I did what I had to do, and that was to defeat Leaderaur."

"We wouldn't have been in danger in the first place if it wasn't for that boy," Preston spat, taking another step closer. Without fully realizing it, Pacifica positioned herself so that her father wouldn't be able to reach Dipper and the others without going through her first. They glared each other down, daring the other to make the first move.

A heavy silence poured into the room. Mabel bit her knuckles nervously and darted her eyes from Pacifica to Preston. Priscilla was unsure if she was to interfere before one of them did something drastic. The guests were all anticipating some kind of outrage to occur. All the while, Bill sat there with a thrilled eye, practically bouncing on his seat.

The doors burst open from behind them. All heads turned to see both Stanley and Stanford rushing in without hesitation. Grunkle Stan speedily pushed Pacifica to the side as he went up to Preston, and delivered a well-aimed punch to his jaw. As he fell to the floor, the guests and Priscilla gasped. Stan pointed furiously, "Where the hell are my kids?!"

Ford amended plainly, " _Our_."

"Grunkle Stan, we're right here!" Mabel waved frantically from the side. Dipper did so with less enthusiasm. Ford bolted to them, "It's a mess outside! What in the world happened?!"

"I think I'm still internally bleeding somewhere," Dipper mentioned feebly. Whether his words were true or not, he felt like his entire body was the epitome of pain. Luckily, adrenaline and the potion from earlier relieved much of it, but he was still hurting quite a lot. Grunkle Stan was horrified, "What?!"

As Preston was rising onto his feet groggily, Stan punched him once again. He crouched down and clutched his collar, "What the hell did you do to him?!"

Mabel fretted, "No, wait! He didn't hurt Dipper!"

"Why'd you tell him, Shooting Star?" Bill whined. Stan released his grip on Preston's collar, causing the man on the floor to hit the back of his head. The great uncle furrowed his brows, "Then who did?"

"Leaderaur," Dipper clarified. Mabel added, "You missed your chance! Pacifica already killed him."

There was a brief moment of silence as the information was soaked in.

"Now, hold on just a second. If it weren't for Pacifica's parents standing around like a couple of tourists," Bill pointed at the fallen brunette, "This flimsy meatsack here wouldn't have been punched into a solid wall."

"Aha! So I do get to punch you again!" Stan readied his fist, but Ford intervened by kicking Preston closer to his crowd of wealthy visitors. Bill had a sly grin on his face, even though Mabel was giving him a slightly disapproving look. Priscilla helped Preston as he struggled onto his feet while holding his side bitterly, "Disgusting common folk… If it wasn't for your grandnephew, then that stupid beast would have never came here in the first place."

"You son of a—"

"I think," Pacifica's oddly calm voice had interrupted Stan's burst of more rage, "that our guests have had more than enough commotion for one night."

She beckoned the servants, "Please escort them out."

The maids and butlers hurriedly ushered the rich company out of the mansion. It wasn't long until it was just the Pines, the Northwests, and Bill Cipher left to chat. The families stood across from each other, with Bill still floating next to Mabel. Pacifica chose to hold her head down.

"You understand that there is a humongous forest fire outside?" Ford began, "I had to ring for the fire department first before we got here."

"Why do you feel the need to kill everything that's beautiful?" Bill chided. Mabel furrowed her eyebrows, before shaking her head in disagreement and mouthing, "No… no…"

She stopped as Bill turned his head to her, a kittenish smile playing on her face. All the male Pines groaned mutely with disdain. Pacifica only looked at them with a minimum amount of endearment. Preston threw his arms up, "I couldn't care less about the trees! I don't want to see any Pines here ever again!"

"You're surrounded by them, you dimwit," Bill uttered.

"Not those pines," Preston glowered as he gestured, " _These_ Pines!"

"Fine by me! We didn't come by just to see you, anyway! There was more important things to be taken care of," Ford proclaimed. Stan walked next to his brother, holding his hands on his hips, "Yeah, this mansion isn't even that great—!"

A golden statue slipped out of his sleeve. He snatched it and shoved it into his jacket without looking. Preston narrowed his eyes, "You realize I saw that, right?"

Stan waved him off, "Saw what—?"

A dainty, ornate decorative piece fell out from his other sleeve. Stan repeated the same action that he had done just a few seconds ago. All were staring at him, most with accusing glares, spare for that one approving eye. The great uncle reasoned, "So what if I like to take stuff with me wherever I go?"

"Those were ours," Priscilla stated with slight confusion. Stan rolled his eyes and smoothly pulled out a wristwatch, "I don't think this is yours."

"Where did you get that from?" Ford inquired with disbelief. Stan shrugged, "The fireman was too friendly for his own good. Everyone knows you never shake hands as a greeting."

"But I always do that, I'm a friendly person…" Mabel commented in a low voice. Dipper mumbled from below, "Same…"

"Well, you obviously aren't doing it right. If you're going to physically interact with someone, you should always get something out of it," Stan pocketed the wristwatch, "But I don't see why this guy would need to, seeing that he's full of riches."

Ford pinched his nose, "Seeing that both parties obviously cannot stand to be in the same room any longer, we shall take our leave."

He picked up Dipper, and the Pines were about to exit the mansion with Bill trailing behind lazily. Yet, Preston managed to sneer in time, "I better see the reparations in the morning."

Stan questioned crossly, "For what?!"

"The wall, of course. And much of our trees," Preston explained scornfully. Priscilla included, "Those seeds aren't gonna grow themselves."

" _Actually_ , they do," Ford asserted. She frowned, "Says who?"

"Says the scientists!" He threw his chin up and bent his knees melodramatically, " _I'm_ _a_ _scientist!_ "

"And I'm rich!" She snapped. Preston crossed his arms, "Just pay up now if not early tomorrow!"

"Hell no! Pay for it yourselves!" Stan planted, "Why would I give any of you money?! Why would I give money at all?! Do you know who I am?!"

"Your boy here almost got us all killed, and it could've costed us a lot more valuable money!" Preston avowed strongly.

"That's not Dipper's fault! That's yours!" Livid, Mabel clenched her fists and flared, "He already offered his help, and all you had to do was not get in the way! He could've gotten killed saving _you two_ , and you probably wouldn't had even thanked him for it!"

She panted modestly, gradually cooling off from her abrupt rush of emotion. Dipper and her great uncles were smiling with pride. Bill smirked, "Whoa, there."

Pacifica looked up, having enough of their dispute, "That's all you have to say. You're free to leave."

"Pacifica!" Preston yelled hotly. Mabel slackened, "Pacifica…"

"Just go. Don't worry about any payment," She informed. Stan sighed with relief, "I'm glad someone in this snobby family is sane."

"Wait," Dipper weakly called out, but it was enough to prevent anyone else from saying anything. He numbly spoke from behind Ford, "Even… Even though most people think otherwise… I saved you two because it was just… it was just the right thing to do."

Pacifica and her parents were speechless, so the Pines left without another word, while Bill followed them out. Mabel casted one more grateful glance at Pacifica before the doors close behind them.

"Who are you to make orders?!" Preston started right off the bat, clearing up his previous shock, "I'm in charge here!"

"They're right, father; there is no need for their money!" Pacifica insisted, "We have as much as one could have."

The servants and maids had taken their usual positions in hiding to listen in to once another heated argument between their master and the young mistress. Priscilla nodded along to what her father was spouting. He seemed like a madman, yelling an illogical reason, "Call it justice if you will, but we are at the expense of that boy's poorly done job!"

It was always the same. Would anything ever change from their debates?

Pacifica attested, "It's _not_ his fault."

She had just been through the most difficult and dire fight of her life, and she comes back home for this nonsense. After almost dying a few times during battle, fleeting thoughts crossed her mind. One of which that went like this: _Would she die here, holding hatred for her parents?_

Pacifica believed that maybe if she did live through the fight, then that meant there could be many more things to be done. That some of the most impossible was actually possible. She wanted to try; truly, she did. But she didn't know how much more she could take before she completely snapped. Her parents were frauds, and they never treated her any better than a doll.

Why couldn't she just _hate_ them to a higher extent? Why did she still always care about them in the end?!

He pressed, "Then who?!"

" _Mine!_ " She shouted, "It's my fault! All mine! All because I'm the headmistress of this town's academy. Of course I'll be a big target for evil. But I—I never wanted anyone to get in danger because of me! Even if that meant horrible, lying parents like you two!"

Her vision blurred, but she restrained the tears, "I am trying so hard to prove myself, and I just want you to actually _acknowledge_ me for once!"

She wiped her tears away bitterly, "I don't care how you present me to the world, but I want you to always know that I am a Soul Fighter at heart. And if it makes you any happier to know, I strive to be stronger than any other academy out there. This is all I really have, anyways…"

Pacifica sniffed, then covered her face with her hand. More tears were building up in her eyes. Had she really just let herself do that? On one hand, she felt like a heavy weight was lifted off of her chest, but on the other hand, she couldn't bare to imagine their reaction to her outburst. It seemed like time ticked on and on before her father spoke.

" _Don't_ disappoint us."

By the time she shot her head up, her father was leaving the room, and her mother was hurriedly following after. She stood there, astonished beyond comprehension, mouth slightly agape. Honestly, she had no idea what to feel right now. Did she even hear him right?

She did, didn't she…?

Pacifica asked one of the maids behind the pillar, "You heard correctly, yes?"

The maid looked taken aback, before replying timidly, "Um, I believe so…"

"And what about you?!" Pacifica asked her butler. He stammered, "Y-Yes…"

"And you? And you?" She continued to ask all of her servants until there was no one left to ask. Pacifica couldn't believe it; her parents were finally getting off of her back about her job! She's never felt so free before in the heart of her mansion! She didn't know what to do next. Oh, wait, she did.

She pointed at her maid, "You!"

"A-Ah! Yes?!"

"Call for my hairstylist! This hair isn't going to even out itself!"

* * *

The forest smelled like smoke and burnt wood. Dark, large clouds hung over them like a looming threat. In the distant, they could hear the urgent voices of the firemen. Briefly, he wondered how they would deal with this tremendous forest fire. All Ford knew was that the weather would be off for a few days.

Out of nowhere, there was a tug on his sleeve. Ford looked to his side, only to find Mabel walking next to him. She whispered with pink staining her cheeks, "Can I say goodbye to Bill?"

"Uh…" Ford shot a look to his brother. Stan huffed.

"It's easy; just do this," The older man turned around to the floating dream-demon, "Goodbye."

"You know what I meant!" Mabel flushed. Stan groaned, "But you could just keep walking with us!"

"Please?" She gave them wide, sparkling puppy eyes. The great uncles grimaced at the same time. Dipper was currently fast asleep, so he had no say in the matter. Ford caved, "Fine, fine. You better be home under ten minutes."

"No problemo! Thanks!" She gave them both awkward forms of hugs, before patting them away. It wasn't long until it was just her and the blonde. Mabel turned around, "So… you've been silent, like, the entire time. I'm surprised more banter didn't show."

She noticed how he was looking at her, but it didn't really seem like he was _there_. Before she could question, he interrupted, "How do you feel?"

"Huh?" She smiled with uncertainty, "Are we about to get emotional… or something?"

"Not that kind of feeling," Bill motioned blandly, "How are you physically feeling?"

"Uh… pretty normal, I guess. Why?" Mabel was absolutely perplexed as to the sudden questions. He rolled his eye and felt the need to expand his question, "Do you remember how you were you feeling right after your brother was punched?"

"Oh!" She looked like she was struck by lightning, before she shrugged, "Not sure. I completely forgot what happened there! Just seemed like a big blur if you're gonna ask me! Say, didn't you call me by my real name then?"

Bill didn't answer. She rocked back and forth on her feet, unsure what he would ask next. These questions were weird. Why won't he ask something like "So, do you want to do this again?" or "Be mine?" Her cheeks went red at the thought.

Yet, what he was doing really wasn't that romantic. Then again, he most likely didn't care about romance.

"Shooting Star."

"Hm?"

"Be wary."

"Wary? Wary of what?"

But then he was gone, leaving her impossibly more bewildered than she had been. A frown etched into her face as it seemed that they were both evidently hiding something from each other, and it appeared that it may be about the other.

She knew he did not know he had a beating heart, but what did he know about her that she did not?

Maybe she could try at this mystery thing that her family loved so much. It did run in the blood, like a primal instinct, so to speak.

But, she could try another time. Making her way back home, she ran up the stairs to find her great uncles bandaging Dipper. Her tongue slipped, "Why are you bandaging him?"

Her great uncles eyed her with surprise. Ford exclaimed, "Did Cipher brainwash you this time?!"

"No! No, no, no!" Mabel shook her head, feeling embarrassed, "I meant, why not just give him another potion?"

"We did," Stan voiced. She had a look of puzzlement before Ford clarified, "It seems that multiple uses of the potion will substantially lessen its effect if ingested repetitively within a considerably short amount of time."

Mabel blinked, "Uh, what?"

"Basically, it's nerd talk for 'don't take too much, or it won't work,'" Stan simplified. She nodded in understanding. Soon, Dipper was all bandaged, never once stirring from his slumber. The great uncles bid her goodnight, to which she did the same.

Mabel turned on her side as she prepared for repose. She looked over at Dipper once more, overflowing with glee to know that he was alive. Then, her eyelids drooped shut as sleep took over her quite exhausted body.

The next morning, Mabel awoke with an odd feeling, although she hadn't the slightest clue why. Her whole being felt light… but it did not feel bad. She assumed that she had not gotten enough hours of sleep, because she still felt a little drained. She turned around to find Dipper writing away at something. Mabel questioned drowsily, "What's that?"

His voice was still a bit raspy, "It's this report I have to fill in, and since I won't be at work for a day or two, it would be a good time to do it now."

Mabel stretched, "Well, if you really want to spend your paid vacation writing, then go ahead. But I'm gonna go get some breakfast!"

Dipper watched her leave, before returning to his letter. It would have to be mailed by tomorrow, after all. He barely paused to mull over his words because he already knew what to say. After finishing it, he read it over a couple of times. He hoped that Pacifica approved of it, and it wouldn't get him fired or lessen his salary. At the very least, he hoped that she liked it.

 _"Dear Pacifica,_

 _Terribly old-fashioned, huh? I could've written an email or a text, but I decided not to. Why? Don't ask, it might be because of the hit I received, but I found this way more fitting._

 _Anyways, I'd like to first say: my bad. Giving you the fight of your life against a powerful, humongous manotaur wasn't exactly the best birthday gift. But, it's still something, right?_

 _As for my assignment you gave me a while ago, here is my answer:_

 _I think that true strength is when you are able to will yourself to do what you or others thought was impossible._

 _And that's all, really. I'll be back to work soon._

 _Sincerely, Dipper Pines."_

And liked it, she did.

* * *

 **There was just so many spots where I could've been like "Okay I'll just cliffhanger here" but I REFUSED. Why? Well, it's been about more than a month since my last update, so I thought, I'll just wrap it all up in one long chapter—this is my longest by far—and surprise my lovely readers with SOOOOO MUCH STUUUFF.**

 **But, yeah, lots of stuff to think about after this chapter. Much has been revealed, yet not enough, right?**

 **Thank you to everyone that is sticking with this story. And for any newcomers who have reached this point, welcome! To all my lovely readers, do enjoy!**

 **Until next time!**


	36. Chapter 36

**YAY!**

 **I'm surely going to get a beating now! This update is soooooooooooo late! But I continued to receive so much feedback and follows and favorites! How could I ignore?!**

 **I swear, every time I had an opportunity, I would be thinking about the plot and everything so it'd be easier to write later.**

 **But, anyway, I'm so, so sorry. Everything is just so busy and hectic right now. There are other things that overtake my mind and then I just don't have the right state of mind to start writing and thinking at the same time for my story.**

 **P.S. I understand a lot of authors like to post a chapter that only states their absence and the reasoning. I don't like to do that.**

 **lithium-powered-angst: Oh my goodness! You just blasted me with gratitude!**

 **Guest: So it is! Here we go!**

 **anonymous(Guest): Yeeeep!**

 **joseftanti: Oh, they will soon…. Soon… I think.**

 **hijackforever: Aww, you inspire me to write because I inspire you to write! Let's do this!**

 **Malezy: I knooooow! I think I'll have some more time to write from now on.**

 **Midnight-Solace: Reading your reaction to the new chapter made my day. Thank you.**

 **NickStriker: Thank you, and I'm glad to have stirred some questions from you!**

 **k9defend: Aaah! Thank you!**

 **AWSR(Guest): *maniacally laughs, then clears throat* Thanks.**

 **ssnnooppyy: I love Boku no Hero Academia, it's one of the Mangas I'm hyping over at the moment.**

 **aerizel: Yes! Enjoy Soul Eater! I'm quite also very proud of Pacifica. Unfortunately, Dipper was forced to have a small part in the action. Thank you, I worked quite a bit on that fight scene. And yes, Bill is a dense dunce.**

 **maranoismylife: ...help… I'm… drowning in… gratitude...**

 **Draf(Guest): Oh my, my updates have taken quite long, haven't they? My deepest apologies!**

 **KittyCat151: Now, if Alex Hirsch were to read some of this, I'd be greatly surprised and quite anxious. Also, I will let you in a lil' secret: Mabel's powers will be revealed soon. Explained? Hmm, no, not really. Presented officially and at a great extent? Heck yeah! Bill and Mabel… *inhales sharply and dies thinking* Anyway, Did you actually go to the hospital?! I'm just concerned xD and once again, thank you very much!**

 **Trase: Awww, thank you! I appreciate the time you took to catch up once you were finished with school. And also, I try not to be THAT deadly with cliffhangers. I know how much they hurt. But, on the other hand, it's quite enjoyable as the author. xD**

 **Andy1997: Oh, I was about to PM you, but I had to restrain myself. Also, congrats on the new account! And thank you for keeping up with the story!**

 **cesargarciadiaz99: Thank you for your review! My main intention was to make it intense and exciting!**

 **Guest: After rereading it, I started to laugh a lot, too.**

 **Guest: You sir have made me quite happy to know that.**

 **Aqua Burst 07: The saddest thing in that chapter was her loss of hair, so it seems. xD**

 **Korinta582: I've never watched/read Absolute Duo before.**

 **Mylittlechainsaws123: Thank you for such enthusiastic feedback!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls, Monopoly, or UNO.**

* * *

Several weeks after the whole birthday incident, things seemed quite normal, except… it wasn't. There were a few things that changed, ever so slightly, yet it could still be noticed.

Dipper had fully recovered from the blow he received, and was working diligently as ever. After explaining what happened to Leaderaur, he made sure to stop by the manotaur tribe and give his awkward condolences. The manotaur tribe actually attempted to make him the new leader, yet the brunette furiously declined, and only offered to visit them once in awhile. The manotaurs, understanding, yet disappointed, agreed.

Mabel continued to hang around Bill, the shack and her great uncles, her friends when they were available, or maybe just by herself, with the exception of Waddles, from time to time.

When she chose to stick with the dream-demon, she was impossibly more inclined to physical contact. Despite his complaints, he allowed her to, seeing that she would not change, and he couldn't do much without hurting her or scaring her off permanently. So, what if he had grown _a little bit_ fond of her? Not that he'll ever admit to anyone!

Mabel would always try to hold his hand, as usual, when they ventured throughout the forest. She poked his cheeks when he was annoying her, or on some occasions, tried to steal his hat to wear for no particular reason. Yet, her hugs seemed to have changed, but not much to consider. It only lasted about an extra second long, as if she was waiting for something, and when she received what she needed, she let him go.

Unbeknownst to Bill, she would always indulge in a few beats of his heart while pressing her ear against his chest. Call her a creep, for she surely knew that's what creeps would do, but it was strangely relaxing, and even more so, oddly reassuring.

Whereas Bill was observing her for a whole other reason, yet this was to go unnamed.

One of the more evident things was that Pacifica's parents had barely bothered their daughter from her thirteenth birthday and forth. The young mistress was indecisive as to whether this was a good or bad thing. There was this somber, uncomfortable silence that would take place, and a few times, Pacifica expected one of them to snap at her, yet they never did. They rarely met her gaze, and seemingly refused to inquire anymore about her duties as the headmistress or as a Northwest.

Because of how she was raised, she couldn't find it in herself to stopping her learning development as a Northwest heiress. However, it was less forced, and somewhat more for the sake of her sanity. She couldn't imagine handling beyond what was happening currently. For all her life up until her thirteenth birthday, she would begrudgingly follow her parents, either by force, spite, or indifference. Now, this was the most liberty she had ever felt, and she had no idea what to do with it.

Perhaps someone else did.

* * *

The constant sound of footsteps echoed in the empty halls. Hues of orange and red pierced the windows and painted the inside. Suddenly, a pair of feet halt in front of two ornate doors. A fist rose to knock, but a calm voice stopped it.

"Come in."

Dipper stole a breath, and then entered the vast room. Pacifica hadn't looked away from the large screen on the wall. He stalked closer to the end of the long table, patiently waiting for her to give him her full attention. After another moment, she pushed her running thoughts away for now and turned around to face him. Her expression was calm, collected, yet expectation twinkled in her eyes. This boy was always a bringer of a variety of things in her life.

His own somber expression broke as an awkward smile cracked onto his boyish face. So, she frowned slightly, now anticipating some sort of bad news. However, he happen to voice out his much awaited thoughts.

"Look, my family is going to go on a three-day road trip around Oregon for the fourth of July, and we decided to bring a few friends," Dipper averted his eyes multiple times, but they always traced back to her face, "You should come with us."

Pacifica blinked, glanced behind her, before responding, "Sure, I guess."

He exhaled with relief, "Oh, seriously? Nice! Nice, nice, nice… I'll, uh, see you there!"

She arched an eyebrow, "Where's there, exactly?"

"Our shack, tomorrow morning!" Dipper backpedaled out her door, "Okay, bye!"

A wave of silence came over the room as she was left in confusion at such an abrupt exit. No matter, she'd need to be prepared for the weirdness that was sure to come in the following days.

The next day, the sun was beaming brighter than ever, and the air was crisp and refreshing. The sky was cloudless and an endless sheet of blue. The signs of dog days were apparent. In no time at all, there would be scorching heat, burning their skin mercilessly. Mabel took the opportunity to enjoy the rather serene weather at the moment. She jumped up and down with excitement, "This'll be so much fun!"

Candy's eyes were sparkling, "I've never had much of an opportunity to leave Gravity Falls!"

Grenda punched the air, "This'll be _sick!_ "

All three of the girls giggled and shook with eagerness, their voices blending together as they predicted what they'd find on their trip. Waddles was running around, following whoever was moving and moving along with the flow. Mabel and Candy made sure to take many, if not a little too much, pictures with their cameras of each other and themselves. Bill winced as he stood back under the shade, "I can't believe I'm here."

"I can't believe you're here, either," Dipper eyed him suspiciously, "So brings the question: why are you here?"

"You really wanna ask that, Pine Tree?" The blonde crossed his arms, scoffing, "Your sister needs to get her eyes checked because they are way bigger than a damn puppy's."

Dipper snorted while Bill sulked over being defeated by Mabel's adorable persuasion. Just then, Grunkle Stan stepped out from one of the RVs to announce, "Kids! We're about to leave!"

"It's awesome that we could borrow your grandpa's old RV, Melody," Soos grinned as he finished loading in the last of their snacks and drinks. She shrugged, "I barely get to spend time with you guys. May as well make it worthwhile."

They lovingly looked at each other, but Wendy was quick to disrupt, "Yeah, Soos! Get some of that!"

"Wendy!" Soos flushed as Melody only laughed into her hand. Fiddleford made his appearance, "I quite agree with that. I did always like children."

"Okay, let's just get on the RV," Soos hastily led Melody inside the vehicle, where McGucket and Wendy followed. Mabel glanced at her friends, before bursting off into their other RV, "Last one gets the seat with the stain on it!"

"Hey, wait up!" Candy ran after her, only to trip on Waddles. She pushed herself off and kept going, as Grenda did so as well, "I don't know, I think stains are kind of cool."

Dipper furrowed his eyebrows, prompting Bill to inquire, "What's wrong? Afraid you don't have enough female products to last you the trip?"

"I'm a guy!"

"Could've fooled me," Bill smirked, "Oh, wait. You did."

"Just get two eye patches already, you moronic, triangle-wannabe—"

Suddenly, another car pulled up from the depths of the forest. It was elongated, sleek, shiny, and blindingly white. The driver left the limousine to open the door of the passenger's seat, where Pacifica popped her head out, topped by a wide, pretty sun hat. She stepped out of the car, gesturing her driver to take off. The limousine left as quickly as it came. Pacifica held a duffel bag in front of her as she awaited further instruction. Everyone else was still staring, possessing different reactions. Waddles only oinked.

Dipper was the first to react as he stammered, "Y-You actually came!"

It was Bill's turn to snort as Grunkle Ford stepped out of the RV, "Don't be rude, my boy. I'll take your luggage, Pacifica, and you can hop onto our RV. We're about to leave."

Pacifica mustered up a smile, "Thanks."

As she boarded the large, significantly less sophisticated vehicle, Dipper was still in evident shock. Bill rolled his eye, "Three, two, one…"

The beautiful noise of choking brought a smile upon his lips. Dipper forced out the flying pest that invaded his throat, before shooting a well-deserved glare towards Bill. Just when it seemed another session of bickering would break loose, Grunkle Stan honked his horn obnoxiously. The pig squealed, and the blonde covered his ears, "Stupid human devices!"

"That horn is not even close to how annoying your voice is," Dipper quipped immediately. Stanley interjected, "Quit the yapping, and let's get a move on!"

The brunette quickly slipped into the vehicle. Bill was left in his wake, contemplating whether or not this was really worth his time. Eternity only lasts for so long, afterall.

"What the—Where's all the soda?!" Soos cried. Girly giggles erupted from the other RV at his distress.

Bill floated right into the RV with the Pines inside. Pitt Cola always was another one of those things he wanted to try. Eternity just had him have firsts for everything!

While the two vehicles began their long journey, Pacifica decided to awkwardly stand at the front. Her fingers fiddled with the curtain that separated the front from the living space. She didn't know how much time passed until Ford mentioned, "I decided to tinker with the recreational vehicle a little bit. Look, I even added the curtain you're playing with right now."

She let go instantly, "Oh, it's... neat."

"You wouldn't happen to have anyone surveilling you while you're on this trip with us," Stan cut in, "would you?"

"Uh, no," Pacifica arched an eyebrow. Stan let out a heavy breath of relief and relaxed into his seat, "Thank _goodness;_ this trip won't be totally recreational, then."

Ford scoffed as Pacifica furrowed her brows. She inquired slowly, "What do you mean?"

"Don't get me wrong, but time is money, and wasting time means…" He cued her to finish his sentence, to which she did uncertainly, "Wasting money?"

"Exactly!" Stan nodded firmly, before grinning at her, "But I wouldn't mind if the future would be sealed with _loads_ of money if, you know, you're my grandniece."

Ford only groaned as Pacifica went wide-eyed, "Are you saying you're adopting me?"

"In different terms, and hey, it'll be totally legal! I'm not paying for the whole ceremony, though. Better follow with the traditional way."

"Stanley!"

"Lighten up, Poindexter!"

Honestly, she had no idea what they were talking about. But she relished in the silence that followed.

She held onto the seat and observed their surroundings blending into blurs. They were entering a new area, going farther and farther away from her hometown. Pacifica let one more moment of silence pass, before asking the driver, "Is there a definite route that we are taking?"

Stan shrugged, "Oh, you know, that one path that leads me to sabotage and success."

"Come again?" Pacifica raised a brow. Ford piped up, "It's just Stanley going around, trying to ruin other attraction owners' business."

"Hey, you sound disappointed," Stan accused skeptically. His twin looked him straight into the eye, and deadpanned, "I am."

So, that's what he meant by wasting time and money… he was also going on this trip to put his business at an advantage. Or, at least, put other businesses at a disadvantage. Stan suggested, "Hey, think of it as us just going about and doing group pranks. It'll be, ehh... fun!"

Ford eyed him, "There's other—and not to mention better, morally good—ways to have fun."

"Well, at least we're taking a few stops in nature to stargaze or whatever; set off some illegal Chinese fireworks and grill meat with the manotaurs. I'm not doing this _only_ for me!" Stan defended, occasionally glancing to his side, before pouting. Ford nodded with ironic sympathy, "Yes, yes. We all love you for your acts of subtle, rare kindness."

"Don't believe that I'm the only one who does it!" He started, "We're twins for a reason!"

"We're twins because we were born at the same time!"

Pacifica swiftly stepped out from the front and pulled the curtain to give them some privacy. Being a single child herself, she never experienced fights with anyone in a sibling-like manner. So, she had no idea how intense they could get, or if they were just kidding around. And she didn't want to stick around to find out.

Peeking over her shoulder, she saw the three other girls, plus Bill, heavily attentive with some board game. Waddles was resting underneath the table, chewing on some toy. The ones sitting at the table all had cans of Pitt Cola while shooting dubious looks at each other. The single male cupped his hands and shook them, before releasing a pair of dice. They tumbled momentarily, before pausing on top of the board. As Bill carefully moved his piece along the board, Pacifica noticed Mabel already had a wide grin. As he was finally placing his piece down, everything turned to slow motion.

His face became horrified, Mabel's face cracked into two, and both Grenda and Candy almost flew out of their seats.

" _OOOOOH!_ "

The van _swerved_ and _shook_ , causing Pacifica to yelp, gripping onto the closest object next to her for stability. If anyone saw the expression she had on her face in that single second, she wished for a fast, painful death.

Ford yanked the curtains open, "Where's the fire?!"

Candy waved her hand, "There's no fire, Mr. Pines."

"Not yet…" Bill muttered as he begrudgingly gave Mabel the last of his money. The brunette grinned, "I just beat Bill out of Monopoly!"

"It was a warm up!" The dream-demon barked. Ford rubbed his temples, then retreated back to his seat. Pacifica was still trying to discreetly catch her breath at the sudden jerk from the vehicle.

"Yeah, yeah," Mabel rolled her eyes, before setting them on her two best friends, "It's your turn to lose."

"We'll see!" Grenda glared. All three of them were hurled back into an intense match as they focused on the game. Bill was lying back in his seat, arms crossed with a frown plastered onto his face. With a sigh, Pacifica wondered how she was convinced into this mess. For once in her life, she was in the hands of a nonprofessional driver. And this was definitely no limousine. There was this odd stench, random stains and molds, and the inside of the RV was just visibly _worn_. Her nose scrunched at the lack of class.

She then realized that the one who _personally_ asked her to come was nowhere in sight. Her eyes caught onto a curtain at the far back of the vehicle. With hurried stride, she walked past the table and opened the curtain. Dipper lifted his head from his journal to see who had intruded so abruptly. Their eyes were locked onto each other in complete silence. Without thinking, the words tumbled out her mouth, "You're going to get car sick, idiot."

He raised an eyebrow, "And here I thought you had jumped out the RV."

"And you didn't bother to check?" She felt slightly offended. On the other hand, this was a perfect way for her to claim a seat on the far other side from where he was sitting. Closing the curtain behind her, she hastily claimed her chair and set her hat down beside her. They both had a window to look out of and a distance between them that was too weird to fill. Who even tries to sit in middle seats?

"I assumed you were fine," Dipper admitted, before saying, "Although, I thought you'd be here sooner. There's no more seats except back here."

"That would've been nice to know earlier," She mumbled. Her hands were resting atop her lap as her legs squeezed together in an attempt to keep any dignity she had left. Riding a zero-class vehicle, filled with gross bacteria and strange people, and she had to experience being completely out of her comfort zone for the first time. To which, she had failed miserably. Nevertheless, she still feels the rush of doing something like _this_ for the first time. It was pretty addicting, and not to mention refreshing.

Her guard would still have to be up, however. This may not be all that she anticipated.

"So…" Dipper started again after a while, closing the book in his hands. The motion of the vehicle was finally starting to get to his head as he was reading the journal. Yelling had occurred every now and then from the main part of the vehicle, and it didn't help with his approaching nausea. He cleared his throat, "How were you able to leave Gravity Falls?"

She squinted her eyes, "What's that supposed to mean?"

He held his hands up in defense, "It's because you're basically the general of the town's primary protection system, so someone needs to keep an eye out for things, right?"

"Under normal circumstances, you'd be correct," She explained, "But you happen to ask me at a reasonable time. Monster activity is at quite a low point, for some reason. Low enough for me to leave the town for a few days without anything horrible happening. I was trying to figure out why. On a side note, there are other Soul Fighters that I trust to keep Gravity Falls safe."

"I don't wanna cause any more worries to rise here, but, isn't that risky? I thought these holes and breaches were erratic."

"I already thought so too," She affirmed, before casting her gaze downward, "But the data we have from the past years and this year are so unalike. This year, there was a spike, and now there's a sudden fall. These rifts are more… specific, periodic, and…"

"And…?" Dipper prompted. She folded her arms, draping one leg over the over, "I don't know what to think of it."

"You don't think someone's trying to manage them, do you?"

"It's a probability, honestly," Pacifica frowned at him, "Or it may be something entirely normal, like some natural stage of nature... or something to our advantage or benefit."

A tense, contemplative silence hung over their heads. Dipper before catching Pacifica's attention, "Hey, whatever it is, let's worry about it later. We're on vacation."

"Right…" She replied softly, reluctant to stop pondering over her work. Looking out the window, they were slowing to their first stop. A humongous ball of yarn with massive knitting needles to go with it had immediately snatched her interest.

Just as the vehicle came to a halt, a startling _crash_ was heard, followed by the tinkling of presumably smaller objects and a couple of girlish yelps. Speedily, Dipper and Pacifica both went to check the same time the Grunkles had. The discovery was more or less surprising.

In his chair, Bill was angrily crossing his arms as he sunk farther down into his seat. He hissed, "This game is rigged!"

"He flipped the board, didn't he?" Ford was just genuinely curious. Stan climbed off the vehicle, "I'm not buying them another one!"

Pacifica snorted while Dipper facepalmed, wondering many things at the same time. Candy and Grenda brushed off their temporary fright and began their own cheers for their friend. As for Mabel, she was dancing on the table with hands full of fake money.

"What's going on in there?" Fiddleford inquired when Stan stepped down. Wendy, Soos, and Melody already ran ahead to begin messing around with the attraction. He only responded with much exhaustion, "I really, _really_ wish I knew, sometimes."

He grabbed Fiddleford's shoulder, "But we're all just gonna have to accept this and move on."

The engineer shrugged, "Sounds good to me."

Everyone began stepping down with not-so good intentions in mind. Pacifica, however, was genuinely much more interested in the strange attraction. To anyone looking, she didn't appear like it, nor did she have any sign of beaming joy. Unlike the other girls that she was accompanying on this trip, her goal was to just stick back and observe.

As she was mildly amused by how they were trying to sabotage the attraction, she spotted Dipper in the corner of her eye, who was keeping lookout. A girl—around their age—walked up to him with a slightly sultry look on her face, holding an ice cream cone. Pacifica grimaced with disgust.

"Hey," Her tongue darted out as she licked the frozen, delicious cream slowly. Caught off guard, Dipper was wide-eyed as he faced her. He looked around briefly, then pointed to himself, "Uh, me?"

"Uh, yeah," She bit her lip, "I don't really see any other cute boys here."

His face colored slightly, until she mumbled, "Well, maybe except for the blonde boy."

Suddenly, Mabel had the strong urge to wrap her arms around Bill's. When she did, he only expressed a minimal amount of surprise. The question slipped from his tongue, "What's this for?"

"I don't know; I just gotta."

The other girl frowned, before returning her attention to the brunette in front of her. Her smile barely reached her eyes, "So, you got a cell I can call you on?"

 _Not really_ , is what he'd like to say, but seeing that his tongue was twisted in his throat, he couldn't. He gulped and shakily extended his hand, "I'm Pipper Dines."

Abruptly, her expression dropped into disappointment. She squished her ice cream onto his open palm while looking directly at him, "Cute; but cute isn't enough for this gal."

Dipper was still sweating bullets as she left him standing there with a cold dessert sticking to his hand. Stan popped up next to him, "Ouch. That was cold."

" _I know it was!_ " The younger boy snapped. Stan recoiled, letting Dipper know of his accidental outburst. He buried his face in his free hand while Stan sighed and sympathetically rubbed his back. Dipper breathed, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell."

Pacifica casually strolled over, pretending not to have seen anything that had just occurred a few minutes ago. Unclenching her fist, she picked the ice cream off of Dipper's hand, and flicked it into the ground. She eyed him, "You know you don't hold ice cream like that."

"Save it, I already know."

"Oh," She blinked innocently, "what happened to the all-mighty and handsome Soul Fighter that has graced my existence?"

"...You don't really think that."

"No."

"He's trying," Stan shrugged, before kneeling down to whisper, "After all, he needs some help moving on when ginger head over there is taken now."

"Grunkle Stan!"

"She is? Well, doesn't that make this trip a little awkward?"

"Guys!" Dipper cried out, "Enough! Can we just go now?"

"Oh, yeah," Stan pointed, "We're already done with this place, anyway."

Looking behind him, Pacifica noticed how the world's largest ball of yarn, along with the largest knitting needles, were no longer where they were supposed to be. A notion popped in her head saying that she should've paid more close attention as to _how_ there were able to pull that off. But they had better be on their way before the cops came. Stan was already shoving the two inside the RV, where the others were sitting and waiting. Buckling up, they were heading towards to their next destination.

Pacifica leaned her head against the window and stared beyond the glass. After a while, her focus shifted from the never-ending forest to the reflection of Dipper. He was sulking; it wasn't hard to tell at all. But she had a vague guess as to why. Things didn't get to him _that_ easily unless it concerned him or his family.

Before she could start up a conversation, she flinched. Mabel had shrieked, "UNO!"

Her cackle, then another voice, "Shooting Star, I swear I will fill your dreams with losing at these games, _you fucking—"_

" _LANGUAGE!"_ Ford yelled from the front. Bill wasn't eager to comply, "Eat my _dream-demon ass_ , Sixer!"

"What? You mad?!" Mabel couldn't help but grow overly excited with another win as she continued to laugh maniacally. Dipper sighed, and Pacifica found this to be a chance to start conversing, "Aren't you gonna deal with her before she sets a fuse off of Cipher?"

"I think he's already set off; multiple times, actually," He remarked, before agreeing, "But, yes, I should probably take her down a notch before she rides off with her high horse."

The curtains flung open, with Dipper holding them open and Pacifica close behind. Suddenly, the atmosphere grew silent and eerie. The twins stared at each other intensely from their positions, daring the other to make the first move. The headmistress glanced between them, "Are you gonna play or not?"

"Is that why you've come?" Mabel questioned, before chuckling softly, mockingly, "Oh, brother, what a fatal mistake."

"The only mistake made here," He glared, "was when you doubted my UNO skills."

"Why don't you prove that theory?" Mabel gestured for her friends to stand up, to which they hurriedly obliged. Dipper slid into the seat skillfully. Pacifica still stood by the opening of the connector, holding a bored expression. He collected the cards and shuffled them faster than anyone could catch. His voice was smug and melodramatic, "It's not a theory, my dear sister."

He set down the deck and flicked his cards over to her. His own cards were fanned out in his hands, covering his smirk, "It's a fact."

" _Aaaargh!_ " Her temper flared. She seized her cards and growled, "Brother, you have made a fool of me many times. These cards aren't that even good! But today is not your day!"

The blue five lying faceup was swiftly taken over by three sevens, with the first being the same blue. Dipper didn't falter, "Ah, so we're stacking, huh?"

He grinned wickedly, "That won't help you!"

His hand slammed down four twos, making Grenda and Candy gasp. Bill clicked his tongue, appearing perfectly calm now, "C'mon, Shooting Star. You beat _me._ Can't you beat this dweeb?"

"I resent to that."

"It's fine, Bill," Mabel held a single card in front of her face, "because this'll allow me to stay in for a little longer!"

She flipped it over and placed it down. The "plus two" card was displayed for everyone to see. Dipper hissed, "How treacherous."

"I don't know what that means, but thanks."

Candy held her chin, analyzing the current play, "A plus two, one of the special cards. It causes the opponent to draw the first two cards in the deck."

"It's deadly, but not as deadly as…" Grenda trailed off. She and Candy nodded in understanding. Bill had a small frown, while the twins were trying to psych each other out.

Pacifica looked between the two siblings, then at the rest of them. Everyone seemed so comfortable with each other. But where did she belong? Leaning against old wood and absent-mindedly staring at a match of cards?

Maybe her mother was right about hanging around people under her ranking. After her parents finally give her some freedom, she chooses now to mull over their strict teachings. Speaking of which, they seemed awfully secretive around her now. Hushed conversations would linger in the room whenever she stumbled inside. Knowing, melancholic glances and an air of regret hung over their heads, as if death amongst their family had just taken place. Yet, of course, the only Northwests were them.

She didn't know what to think of it. She believed she always knew what she was supposed to do, but without her parents' forceful persistence about her family responsibilities, now she wasn't so sure. It made her think and wonder for the first time in a long time. Why did her parents treat her like some kind of pet until up to this point? And all of that mental, emotional, and physical torture was supposed to be justified by them actually _caring_ about her?

Such limitations to what she could do just made her want to do more. Their constant lack of love and approval of her existence made a small, covert part of her brain plot for something else. Something that would leave a definite mark on the world that she was more than some rich family's daughter. To prove to her parents, to other people, and to herself.

 _She was eight, about to be nine._

 _Her heavy breathing filled her ears and fogged her head. Despite being blurry, her vision was zoned on the wooden flooring underneath her feet. It was scratched up, only a little, but still very sleek and waxy._

" _Do you need a break, young madam?" Sergei stood in his resting position, with his back straight, shoulders taut, and chest puffed out. She thought that was dumb and not very good for resting at all. Her current form was much more useful._

 _Maybe one minute, she wanted to say, but she didn't. If she really wanted to work for this occupation, she couldn't stop for a break. She needed more practice._

" _Summon your weapon."_

 _Sergei's stony expression only creased slightly, "Young mistress—"_

" _I did not tell you to put your sword away!" She reprimanded strongly. Raising her head, her body automatically molded into her regular stance, just like she rehearsed from day-to-day. Her eyes were clouded with exhaustion and fury, "Just because I am young, doesn't mean you choose what to do! I am higher than you!_ _ **Remember t**_ _ **hat!**_ _"_

 _Her cry tore through the room as she charged straight at her mentor._

 _The next thing she knew, he was on the ground. Bruises and scratches battered his body, but he was still breathing and conscious. She didn't know what made her stop, but she was glad. Whatever ripped away at her humanity had just caused her to senselessly beat up Sergei._

 _Her eyes searched his face. He wasn't looking at her. He was staring at the ceiling, indifferent look still worn on his face. She gritted her teeth, "Training is over."_

" _Yes," He breathed deeply, "young madam."_

 _Pacifica intended to leave the room to clean herself up, but had stopped right when she stepped out. Her father was waiting outside the door, obviously expecting her. He nodded, "I believe you are ready for the contest."_

 _She looked at him for a second, before walking past him._

" _I know."_

"UNO _out!_ " Dipper yelled, shattering her distant daydream. His empty hands were mocking Mabel's hand that was holding two cards. He was just as his twin had been earlier, cheering and laughing. Candy and Grenda were only adding salt to the wound as they remarked points of the match that Pacifica had no recollection of. Bill shook his head in disappointment. And as for Mabel, she was too busy kissing the table with her forehead.

And then, they arrived at their next attraction. Oh, this would be a long trip.

* * *

The mission was complete. All the attractions had been successfully sabotaged, all in one day. Ah, the perks of having loyal family and friends.

They decided to park near a running river. Night stretched across the sky; it was like someone poked a million tiny holes to allow light to pass through. The stars reflected of the shadowy waters, creating mystical, eerie effect. The air was warm, but dry, like an invisible blanket. Once more, trees and more trees extended for miles, while the path to and from civilization was just a few yards away.

"Girls are weird," Dipper began.

Everyone had decided to split into male and female at the moment. It was best so that they could "talk things out." _Whatever that means,_ Bill thought, irked, _who believed I'd want to stick around with these goons?_

A fire crackled in the midst as the six males encircled it with lounge chairs. They had a Pitt Cola in one hand and a marshmallow on a stick on the other.

"What brought this up?" Ford questioned. Stan exhaled, "He's been having some lady troubles—all day, too."

"Uh oh," Fiddleford whistled. Dipper frowned, "I don't know! Television and stuff always tell you 'just be yourself,' but is that what they really want?"

"I don't think any girl in the right mind would want you, regardless," Bill quipped. Dipper ignored him in favor of the relaxing atmosphere, "Who is media really helping? The guys, the girls? Because it can't be both; otherwise, they're doing their approach wrong. Girls seem to like a type of guy that doesn't even exist, and isn't the media just telling them to settle? But they don't like to settle, do they? And guys have the bar raised way too high. We are expected to do amazing things, I mean, why? Wouldn't having and showing love be enough?"

He had went from one more question to a full-blown rant. Using his fingers, Bill flicked a small flame at him to shut him up, and Dipper inwardly thanked him so that he could stop embarrassing himself.

Soos shook his head, "Don't over think it, dawg. Love comes naturally; it's like you don't have to try to be someone else, and at a same time, you're improving yourself for that person."

There was a beat of silence, until Dipper questioned, "What does that even mean?!"

Stan rolled his eyes, "This is why I'm not committed into any relationships. It's too much work."

"They left you," Ford pointed out. Stan glared at him, "Hey, we don't need the details."

"Love can be found in other things, even in something that can't love you back," Fiddleford shrugged, "I mean, I love science."

Ford pursed his lips, "That's… nice, Fiddleford."

"Shit, I think we need to get out more," Stanley grumbled. Subconsciously, Fiddleford and Stanford nodded. Bill groaned, "This talk about your human relations with the opposite gender is _dumb_. Just pick one and move on."

"Man," Dipper burst out laughing, "you are _one_ to talk!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bill was squinting at Dipper across the flames. The brunette shook his head, "I just find it funny, that, you know…"

He was narrowing his eyes at the blonde now, much to the dream-demon's confusion. Ford darted his eyes between them, "Dipper…"

"What?"

"Is this some kind of joke?" Bill accused, "Or you guys really think it's hilarious to hide some grand secret from me? I can figure it out if I wanted to."

"Sure..." Dipper drawled. He leaned in and held his chin up with his hands, digging his elbows into his thighs.

Soos tapped his armrest, "I'm lost too, actually."

Fiddleford lied against his chair, "I think I know what this is about."

"You do?" Stan asked. The older engineer shrugged, "It's not that hard for me to figure out."

Bill felt his eye twitch and his fingers itching to expand the fire, "I can't believe I stopped wondering why I even decided to stay here."

"Because it's interesting," Dipper observed, "Since you're such a lonely freak, you try to actually experience what it's like to hang out with some guys for once."

The air was suffocating and intense.

"Now, that's some wild guesses right there, Pine Tree," Bill bared his teeth as he smirked, but Dipper could see that he hit the nail on the head. The brunette didn't break eye contact, "You seem to forget that I'm _smart_."

"Oh, sure, lots of times. Especially when you're trying to flirt with random females you've met during the trip."

Dipper flushed as Soos snorted accidentally. Ford mumbled, "So that's what happened…"

"At least I'm actually trying to get with someone. You're still a blind jerk, both literally and figuratively," Dipper shot back. Bill glanced to the side, "Ha, if I wanted to get someone, I could. But there's no point."

Stan and Ford both crunched their cans unintentionally. Dipper felt a flare internally as he instantly imagined how heartbroken his sister would be to hear that. He growled, "Well, maybe you need to get your head out of your ass and look at what you have! Maybe you'll find a point then!"

"Dipper!" Ford reprimanded. Stan only grinned as Fiddleford awkwardly sipped his Pitt Cola. Soos munched on the marshmallow, intently listening. Bill smiled mockingly, "Your words are boring me, kid."

Dipper fumed, before standing up. Without a word, he left. Bill solemnly stared at his back, before pushing any consideration he had over his words in the back of his head. He pulled out a deck of cards from nowhere and waved them, "Let's play."

The male twin was already deep in the forest, angrily ranting to himself, "I can't believe the nerve of that guy! Why does Mabel even like him?!"

He paused to pant from his stomping and furious speaking. Cold sweat ran down his temple in an attempt to cool him down.

"I wonder that, too."

Dipper turned around to find Mabel leaning against one of the trees. She was holding herself by the arms, looking down at the ground. He sputtered, "W-What are you doing here?"

"Well…"

 _A group of girls lie on the soft grass on the riverbank, pointed up towards the sky. Waddles was running to and fro, also rubbing against the grass or bathing in the water. There was a chorus of girlish laughter, and then, "Okay, okay! Mabel, truth or dare!"_

" _Dare me!"_

" _Go to the boys area and smack all the food and drinks out of their hand!"_

" _You call that a dare?!" She shot up, "I'm no wuss! This'll be easy!"_

 _Mabel ran towards the male camp, excitement creeping in her veins. Their faces would be hilarious; she might even have to take a picture! However, her footsteps came to a halt as she listened in on to their discussion by mistake._

" _Ha, if I wanted to get someone, I could. But there's no point."_

 _Then, she turn, and ran._

There was a deafening tranquility that engulfed them both. Her head was hung, and he felt useless.

Dipper choked out, "Mabel, I'm sorry."

The cicadas chirped and the leaves rustled and the running river in the distance tempted her to throw her thoughts away and let them wash up somewhere else. To let someone take them and keep them and hide them away forever where they didn't hurt her anymore.

"For what?" She slid down to sit on the base of the tree, "I'm the one responsible for my own feelings. I chose to like him, already knowing the pain I'd feel. I didn't expect anything different."

Her voice cracked near the end of it.

Dipper immediately rested on his knees next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She didn't look up, "But I still hoped for _something_. I still wanted something _more_ out of this. And I never thought it would hurt _this much_."

She started crying salty tears. They streamed down her face and dropped into the grass.

"I'm so _stupid_ ," Mabel scrunched her eyes shut and let the tears flow, "and even now, I don't want to let go."

"You could," Dipper admitted. He was no longer infuriated, but only sympathetic towards his conflicted sibling. He bit his cheek, "You could let go, Mabel, but that wouldn't be you."

She didn't look at him, but he didn't mind. Dipper continued, "Thinking about it, you seem to be the only one who's ever been this close to him. Even though you're weird and crazy, you aren't stupid. You like him and you've been liking him for a reason—a good reason, right? I hate to say it, but you just need to wait until this comes around."

Dipper patiently waited for her response. She sniffed again and wiped her eyes, before looking up at him. She was smiling.

"Since when did you become such an expert as this, Sir Dippingsauce?"

He smiled too, "I like to be modest."

They laughed wholeheartedly, then she pulled him into a hug. She released him and yawned, "I'm beat."

"I'll race you back to the RV."

"What about the others?"

Dipper shrugged, "I'm sure they're fine."

Before she could react, he broke off into a sprint towards their vehicle. Shocked, she cried out, then chased after him.

* * *

"Happy Fourth of July!" Mabel yelled in the early morning with Waddles hopping around. Pacifica groaned and threw a pillow at the brunette, having been groggy from staying up late with the rest of the girls out of sheer politeness and interest. The female twin glared at her, "Where's your Fourth of July spirit?!"

"In bed."

Candy stretched and yawned, while Grenda was already brushing her teeth at the bathroom. Her brother was already up and ready to go, only sitting down and reading Grunkle Ford's journal.

Last night, when she made it back to the RV, she slipped in easily to avoid any encounters with the guys. Once her friends had come back, she ended up venting to them, to which they reacted quite aggressively. But Mabel convinced them not to do anything to the dream-demon.

So much emotional strain exhausted her. She decided that she'd take a step out and breathe the fresh, natural air.

Mabel exited the cramped vehicle and relished the morning sunshine. Birds were chirping and the river was still running. There were always different things to experience in different parts of the forest.

Suddenly, a shadow stretched over her, and she turned around. Bill was resting on top of the RV, chin in his hands. He was staring down at her, making her feel very small again. Perhaps she needed a short, temporary break from him…

"Good morning, Bill," Her voice was feeble, lacking it's normal affection. He eyed her warily, "You're acting odd."

She felt herself shrunk even more at the claim. Was she really that much of an open book? Mabel frowned, "No, I'm not! You're just… just seeing things!"

Bill pressed, "You're right. I happen to see a lot of things. And right now, I see that you're acting odd."

"Shut up, Bill," Dipper had stepped down from the vehicle. His hands were shoved in his pockets, "What she's feeling right now doesn't concern you."

A beat.

"I'm starving, what's for—" Pacifica also appeared behind Dipper, but stopped speaking due to the heavy silence. Mabel scratched her cheek and evaded eye contact, "Can you guys go catch some fish in the river? We'll cook those for breakfast."

"You're saying you didn't bring anything to actually eat for a meal?" Pacifica wondered. Dipper shook his head, "We're saving it for tonight. Besides, this'll be funner. Come on, let's catch some fish."

"I advise you come along with us, Bill," Pacifica suggested while she picked up a small cooler, much to Dipper's displeasure. Bill took one more look at Mabel, who still refused to look at him, and turned to Pacifica, "Fine."

The three quietly treaded towards the river. Pacifica peeked at Dipper, noticing the creases in his forehead as he tried to repress his evident rage. Then, she glanced at Bill, who was uncharacteristically somber, like the personification of depression. Pacifica sighed mentally as they approached the upcoming river.

The rays of light bouncing off the river made it look like glistening liquid of silver and gold. It was wide, yet shallow, and it seemed to go on until it hit the horizon. Peering closer, there were fish visibly swimming along with the current. They showed up and vanished in a heartbeat.

"This is… pretty," Pacifica cleared her throat. Curse her and her inability to start small talk. The two males were still brooding, making it incredibly tense for her since she was standing there like an idiot. She clenched her fist, "How about we have a competition?"

"Huh?" Dipper seemed to snap out of it. Pacifica grinned, "Yeah, no weapons, or powers, just hands. We throw the fish onto the riverbank and at the end, we count who has the most."

"And the winner gets?" Bill actually inquired. Pacifica shrugged, "Bragging rights."

"Cool," Dipper said in a boring tone, until he stripped off his vest and darted into the river. Pacifica was taken aback, "H-Hey!"

Bill growled, "And you think I'm unfair!"

He slid his vest off his body and placed his hat and bow tie next to it. Suddenly, there were now two males frantically running around in the river, attempting to grab whatever fish they could get a hold on. Pacifica felt a fire light in her body as she tied her hair behind her head and jumped in with them.

Hands were flying faster than the bodies, but fish were being thrown out of the river like a fountain. They kept piling in heaps of squirming, flapping, wet bodies. Dipper had lost his footing and slipped, ramming into Bill. They both collapsed into the river with a big _splash!_

"Watch it, you idiot!" Bill barked as he held himself up on his knees. Dipper had his hands holding him from behind, "You got in my way!"

Pacifica paused to fold her arms at the fallen boys. She flashed a cocky smirk, "At this point, I think I'll be winning."

Both males turned their heads to see one of the areas on the riverbank covered with slightly more fish, compared to the other vast collections of flopping creatures. They turned back to look at her with devious glints in their eyes.

Pacifica squeaked and yelped at the assault of cold water. Dipper splashed it towards her while Bill was a bit more dramatic, spinning and sending it her way with the force of his hands. All of them ended up laughing as they seized a multitude of fish and attacked each other, too caught up in the moment to care. Dipper had his eyes open to take in the image of Pacifica, smiling against the radiance of the sun as crystals of water flew around her. She was beautiful.

"Hey, guys, I just wanted to see what was taking so… long…" Mabel trailed off. The three of them froze in their positions, abruptly realizing the moment they were in compared to the reality they had. She looked below her to see the _abundant_ amount of fish that were twitching and bouncing against the grass. Her hands flew to her clutch her hair, " _What are you doing to these poor things?!_ "

Her voice was law, "You better take these fish back into the river and only get _a few!_ We're looking for breakfast, not to stop world hunger!"

When she left, Bill, Dipper, and Pacifica finally realized exactly how much fish they tore away from the river. Some were even wiggling in the trees. They sighed simultaneously, before beginning clean up.

It was already noon by the time they were finally finished with it. Still damp, Pacifica hurriedly carried the cooler full of fish and ran back to the camp site. Dipper and Bill were left to walk behind her hasty trail. The brunette claimed softly, "Well, that was fun."

The blonde begrudgingly revealed, "I guess."

Dipper let nature fill the silence for a few more seconds, until he confessed, "You know that she's upset with you, right?"

"Why?" Bill already knew they were talking about Mabel, "I didn't even hurt anyone… yet. I decided to tag along and stay on this trip, too."

"Maybe not physically," Dipper rolled his eyes, "But, anyway, you just suck at appreciating what she gives you. Like, this trip, some colas, her _friendship_?"

"I never asked for it."

"But you aren't throwing it away."

Bill went quiet, but his expression was contemplating. Dipper sighed and furrowed his brows, "It's really obvious that you care about Mabel more than you let on, but she doesn't see that. I'm not saying you need to buy her some present or whatever, but say something."

"Like what?" Bill seemed to not even be listening to himself. He was asking _Pine Tree_ for help over this, meaning: he's completely lost it. Dipper snorted, "Uh, what else do you say when someone gives you something? Figure it out, it's not that hard."

They arrived back at the camp with Dipper feeling better and Bill feeling worse. On one side, the male twin was glad to know his sister's feelings wouldn't go to waste, even if it was toward an intolerable, arrogant, dangerous pest. He'd just need a _lot_ of time getting used to Bill. And as for said dream-demon, he was hating himself for even holding an actual conversation with Dipper, let alone asking him for help. He _shouldn't_ be caring so much over how _Mabel_ feels towards him, especially if she was upset. But he did, and it was so damn annoying to feel guilty over something he wasn't even sure that he did!

The sun had seem to have been crossing the sky faster than normal. Night time popped up and out of the blue, greeting the world. Smoke rose to the sky as a pair of grills were set up and cooking something delicious. After dinner, they decided to take a few pictures before setting off the fireworks.

" _You better get closer to each other or I'm gonna shoot you with one of these fireworks!"_

Ford yelped and squeezed unbearably closer next to his twin. Mabel smiled and took the picture. The whole group, excluding her, were all gathered up in front of the RV. Most of them were holding strained smiles and a sparkler in one hand. With a single click, a flash burned their eyes and saved the memory. Mabel placed the camera down and smiled, "Let's shoot these things up in the air!"

There were continuous bangs reverberating through the sky and flares of color that were captured in their minds. Candy, Grenda, Mabel, and Wendy were going crazy with the sparklers and the smaller fireworks. Soos and Melody were firing one after the other. The older men were trying to see who could stand the closest to the firework as it launched off, with Bill occasionally trying to sabotage their little bet.

Dipper looked at Pacifica, who was uneasily standing at the side. He held a firework out for her, to which she declined weakly, "I can't…"

"Why?"

"I… I don't know how…" Pacifica conceded. Dipper only gave her a benign smile, "It's easy. Just position it on the ground and watch it fly off, like this."

He followed through his own instructions using another one that he was carrying. She made sure to watch him carefully so she wouldn't mess up as he handed her the firework. Even though her hands were a shaking mess, she couldn't wipe the smile off her face while she did exactly what he had done. She sent one off, for the first time ever in her life. The explosion resonated and painted the sky. Her mouth failed to close as her eyes never tore away from the sparkling flames.

There were only a few left. Fiddleford gestured to the Pines, "You guys should get the last ones."

Ford acknowledged him with gratitude, before going first, holding a launcher that was loaded with the firework. He shot it up into the air and everyone watched as it exploded in a blast of colorful lights. Mabel grinned maniacally as she took the launcher from him, "I AM THE GOD OF DESTRUCTION!"

She shot a larger firework into the sky, one that sent wind blowing into their hair and vibrated their eardrums. They all whooped and cheered and Waddles was jumping with joy. Mabel sat on the shoulders on her great uncle Stan, who lit up three rows of fireworks on the ground. They flew up high into the air and burst, sending streams of vibrant lights to dance across the dark sky. Grunkle Stan turned to his grandnephew, "Come on, kid."

Dipper held the launcher in his hands, and aimed it upwards. He shot five consecutive fireworks, with one exploding after the other. It created a constant illumination that filled their eyes and popped their ears. He beamed at his great uncles. Stan started chanting, to which the rest of his family joined him, "Pines! Pines! Pines! Pines!"

Their voices died away with the night.

* * *

"Today's the day," Mabel whispered to herself. Candy nudged her, "Good luck."

"Don't use tongue yet," Grenda mentioned. Mabel flushed as she pushed her friend, "Gross!"

Today was the last day that they were going to be on this trip. However, it was also the day that Mabel had decided was going to be Bill's birthday. It was a well-kept secret on her part. He always said how he never knew and how he didn't care, but she did care, so she made a birthday date for him. And since this would probably be the first time anyone noted the beginning of his existence, she wanted to make it memorable.

The day sped by fairly quickly once more, much to the chagrin of everyone. They had enjoyable moments with playing old games and games they had made up, talking about life and jokes, and watching the world tick by as they relaxed from their daily lives. Once the sun shone no longer, Mabel took this opportunity to pull Bill away from the group. He followed rather obediently, which confused her, but she was thankful. It was less awkward that way, anyway.

She was hugging a bag close to her chest, mind whirling as she walked and he floated to the riverbank. Her entire being was the epitome of nervous. He'd probably say how stupid it was that she made him a birthday, or he'd hate her present, or he'd swim away in the river and never return!

"If you take any more steps, you'll plunge into the river."

Mabel stopped where she was and twirled on her feet. Her face was already heated because she was alone with the object of her affections, but it became even hotter from embarrassing herself. She stepped closer to Bill, who was scrutinizing her. Mabel closed her eyes and took a deep breath; this was the moment of truth.

Forcefully thrusting her arms out, she accidentally _punched_ Bill's abdomen. He crumpled onto his knees, and she dropped her gift, "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!"

"So, you pull me out here to torture me," His chuckle lacked mirth, "You really do hate me now."

"Wha—What?! I don't hate you!" Mabel was flabbergasted he'd even begin to think of something like that, "I was just—I was scared and I wasn't thinking. It was an accident!"

She picked up the present and yanked out the gift. Bill found himself staring at a yellow sweater with a brick pattern across it. It had no turtleneck, but instead a black bow tie was sewn to the collar to impersonate his own. There was a black triangle in the middle and an eye in the center of the triangle, a thin top hat atop the shape. The sleeves were puffy, and at the end of the sleeves and the sweater, they were elastic and tight enough to hug the body comfortably. Upon closer inspection, the knitting was sedulously done.

She spoke with a skittish tone, "Your birthday. It's today—I decided it was going to be today… without you knowing. Yeah, so, it's not, like, the smartest idea, but I had to give this to you somehow and I thought it would be better to give you a birthday while I was at it. So I said, 'Why not July 5th?' Because your name is Bill and I thought of America and it's money and—"

Bill took the sweater from her hand, disappeared, then reappeared without it. Her expression was crestfallen, "You didn't like it?"

"No, it's fine," He arched an eyebrow, "But I think it's way too hot to wear a sweater."

She tugged at her own clothing self-consciously. Suddenly, his hand was ruffling up the top of her head, causing her to whine. He ignored her complaints.

"Thank you, Shooting Star."

Her face lit up in flames, "Huh?"

"Without you…" Bill bit his tongue, keeping his hand on her head.

Without her, he'd be wandering Gravity Falls, doing what he used to always do. He'd be going back and forth between dimensions, getting beaten up, feeling hated by everyone he came across. He'd watch as humans lived and died until one day, the sun would explode and take the Earth with it. And even then, he wouldn't care as much as he did now. Right now, he didn't want the Earth to perish because he wasn't done experiencing what it had to offer. For all the years he had been living, he hasn't done any of it.

"...I wouldn't know what I was missing," He finished lamely. Mabel saw her vision blur as her eyes watered. He fretted, "Whoa, okay, no! No! Bad!"

"I can't help it," Mabel sniffed, before choking on a sob. Another onslaught of tears escaped her eyes as she tried to wipe them away. Yet, she was far from sad. She felt like what she had been doing up to this point was worth everything. His single line of appreciation made it worth it. She felt as though this was the moment where they could begin something new, something more.

But that's not what she worked so hard for. So, she leaned in and hugged him. Her arms wrapped arms around his waist and she cried into his vest.

She never desired to be solely romantic with him, or to focus on what his looks had to offer.

She just wanted to be close to him.

And they both knew that she was.

* * *

"We're home!" Mabel shouted excitedly, "I'm back, Gravity Falls!"

There were more cheers that came from the rest of the group. Everyone was saying their goodbyes as they unpacked the luggages and started their way home. The departure between Soos and Melody was the most bittersweet, however. She pinched his cheek, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Soos smiled, "I'll see you..."

"...behind the screen," They finished in sync. She gave him another kiss, before she began her drive back to Portland. Soos tapped his fingers against his thigh, before he rose his crystal communicator to his ear. He waved goodbye to his friends and began his way home again. His voice could be heard in the distance, "Melody? I forgot to tell you, I love you twice more…"

Mabel and the great uncles retreated back into the house as Dipper was left with Pacifica. He rolled the balls on his heels. She smirked, "That was quite a journey; I think I'm pretty grateful you invited me."

"Between the camping and the sabotage, it was," Dipper agreed. Pacifica puffed her cheeks as she exhaled, "You know, with everything that's going to be happening from now on, you may not have time to worry about getting a girlfriend."

"You're right," Dipper sighed and combed his hair using his fingers, "It just hurts my pride, really."

"You'll find one," She said earnestly, "and she'll be lucky."

They were suddenly staring at each other now, faces coloring for no explicit reason. He cleared his throat, "Was that a compliment?"

She didn't answer him. Instead, she looked up, then back at him, "I think it's time for me to go."

"Oh, yeah. See you soon," He observed her back as she was leaving. Groaning into his hands, he patted his face repetitively to bring the warmth down. Dipper entered the shack and kicked off his shoes, not surprised that both his great uncles were knocked out cold. They weren't very used to staying around and entertaining others. The young male crept upstairs and went inside the room.

Mabel was in the midst of gluing pictures to her scrapbook, yet she already had glitter stuck to her cheek. Dipper snorted, and she couldn't help but giggle as well.

He was feeling pretty tired himself, now that he thought about it. He collapsed onto his bed and instantly felt himself drifting to repose.

Mabel smiling as she continued her work was the last thing he saw before sleep took over.

* * *

 ***chokes on foreshadow***

 **Between you and me, the Mabel-crying scenes made me tear up.**

 **Anyway, I feel like I should address this to all my lovely readers, but it was prompted by Andy1997.**

 **Dipper's pretty much the main, main protagonist, along with Mabel, as you can see. I have quite a few plans coming up just to… display his growth in strength and character. I've been doing it with Pacifica lately because she's, well, the deuteragonist. And she will be quite very important, if not as important as she is now.**

 **The future for them is… dramatic? Perhaps. Complicated? Most likely. Interesting? I'd hope so. Unknown? Only to you all!**

 **I just hope that the most of you can stick around to enjoy this story I am uncovering gradually.**

 **I'm quite content with the pace I am going at with the story, at the moment. I don't want to rush to all the super important bits because I'd like everyone to indulge more in the actual characters I'm setting up here in this alternate universe and the reality that they're in. Sometimes, things happen to them, and it's either serious, or it's just fun.**

 **I owe a lot to all of you. I may or may not have continued this story if not for the constant appreciation I receive. I try to live up to your expectations, and comply to your criticism. But, with no intended insult, I also like to settle with what I can give out and what I'd like to give out, to the best of my ability.**

 **With that, I bid you all adieu.**


	37. Chapter 37

**Notice the new cover? I LOVE IT SO MUCH. Yes, I did draw it. I feel like I had improved a lot from around the time I drew my first cover, so I decided I needed an update. :D**

 **Why is it only Mabel? Where is Dipper and Stan and Ford and Bill and Pacifica—?!**

 **Well, why don't we find out?**

 **Paul Starhaven: Expect… good… what?**

 **Temmi Flaeks(Guest): omg! Another cookie from another person! Thank you! *swallows it whole***

 **Someone(Guest): WHAT AN HONOR! I FEEL SO GRACED!**

 **AWSR(Guest): Yes, yes, yes!**

 **Andy1997: my greatest intentions! and you're welcome!**

 **aerizel: You might wanna keep lying down.**

 **hijackforever: I quite also like how I set it up as of thus far. YES, ALLOW ME TO SHOW YOU!**

 **maranoismylife: THANK YOU, YOU'RE AMAZING!**

 **KittyCat151: YES MADAM! I APPRECIATE IT GREATLY!**

 **Trase: :o, oh my! My story is comparable to a book?! ;A;**

 **Aqua Burst 07: When the time is right… *coughs***

 **HeadsofScwab: Oh, thanks! ;-;**

 **Guest: Ah, well, since Grunkle Stan had given him some advice earlier in the story, I'd want the reader to assume that Dipper had already tried some of it. And failed. Miserably. *laughs***

 **Mylittlechainsaws123: I can't wait to see what you'll say when you see what happens next!**

 **Guest: Thanks!**

 **cesar k-non: I shall try to update faster! Also, unfortunately, the couple maaaay take some more time. :c but no worries, It'll happen!**

 **ItaShootingStar: OKAY!**

 **Retrokill: very.**

 **Since a lot of you asked, I put a Dipifica notice at the end author's note.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

" _The calm—"_

* * *

A dainty hand tightly grips onto a bouquet of flowers, before placing them down gently onto the stubby grass. It lied in the center, in front of a pair of dull, gray tombstones. Two adolescents stand side-by-side, mulling over their personal thoughts.

After a few more moments, they bid their farewells. Silence filled the cemetery as the twins headed for the bus.

* * *

 _Ten-year-old Mabel Pines was sweet, innocent, adorable, and very, very trusting. She loved to say hello to everyone and play around in the grass. She loved to paint pretty pictures of all things nice and wonderful. She never forgot to say "please" or "thank you," and she made sure to spend time with everyone, including her dolls, parents, brother, bugs, animals; just name it._

 _Adults loved her._

" _Wow!" She shook with glee. "That is so cool!"_

 _The chef smiled nervously, "I'm just doing what I do best!"_

" _That's great! You're a real good example of passion and yummy food!"_

 _The waiters nearby grinned fondly._

 _Animals loved her._

 _Small and soft pairs of feet trampled her current position. As she lied down on the grass, bunnies, kittens, and puppies went out of their way to cuddle with her. She giggled into the fur of a creature, "So cute!"_

 _She sneezed a cute sneeze, snorted, and giggled again._

 _Her family loved her._

" _Kids? What—" Her mother stopped right at the doorway of the kitchen, followed by her father. Mabel held her hands behind her back and rocked on her heels, while Dipper was sitting on the floor. He pointed at her, "It was her idea!"_

 _Flour coated the walls, cabinets, counters, stove, and just about the entire kitchen. Egg yolks and shells were scattered along the hardwood flooring, plus sugar and some chocolate chips. Mabel held up her frosty hands with a toothy grin, "Happy birthday, daddy!"_

 _Their parents only sighed, before laughing warmly._

 _Kids?_

" _Have fun, brat."_

" _Stop singing!"_

" _You talk funny."_

" _That drawing is horrible!"_

" _I'm cuter."_

 _Not so much._

" _Listen, we saw your brother out there!" The short-haired girl pointed towards the trees. Her friends nodded. She continued to push Mabel forward, "We would have gotten him, but we were too scared."_

 _Mabel played with one of her braids, "...I'm kind of scared, too."_

 _Then, she grinned, throwing her arms wide, "Like, I'm gonna pee my pants!"_

 _All of the other girls grimaced and gagged. The main girl made a face, "Ignoring that. Anyway, you love being in there! The only difference is that you'll have a reason now!"_

" _But…" Her smile faltered once more. She didn't sound so convincing, "my mommy said that it's not good to go in there around this time. A-And I should go get her to help me…"_

" _If you don't go now, what would happen to him later?"_

" _...I don't know."_

" _Exactly!"_

 _Mabel looked at the girls, then at the forest._

 _The sun was just about to set, and she had been waiting for her brother to get done in the bathroom. Had he snuck out without her noticing? Maybe, he had saw something cool and got lost. Oh no, what if something will happen to him? What if it already did!? They were right!_

" _I-I'll see you guys tomorrow!" And then, she ran off into the woods. The girls behind her snickered, before leaving the scene._

* * *

Saturday mornings were always a charm. A whole day that was much better than the rest of the week combined. This Saturday morning was warm, surely to heat up as the day continued. Regardless of how wonderful and anticipated Saturdays were, the next day was the main event. For the twins, their fourteenth birthday was to be tomorrow, and they couldn't wait to celebrate it.

Mabel was all set to adventure for the day. Another product of her majestic sweater-knitting skills hugged her body, and a backpack was hanging over her shoulder. She twirled the grappling hook in one hand as she grinned, "It'll be fun, bro-bro! A once in a lifetime experience! Or multiple times!"

"And _extremely_ dangerous," Dipper gave her a pointed look. She shrugged, "Waddles is coming along. It can't be that bad."

He shook his head, "I should go with you."

"Really?!" Mabel bounced up and down. He hummed in thought, until Stan popped up in the doorway, "Yeah, you should go with Mabel this time. She sounds like she's gonna do some pretty _serious_ dangerous stuff."

"Then it's decided," Dipper snapped his fingers. He dashed up the stairs, then reappeared in front of her, his own backpack slung over his shoulders. Mabel clapped excitedly, "Yay! Can't wait!"

As the twins and her pig were leaving the shack, Stan waved at them, "Have fun! Don't come back too soon!"

"Got it!"

"No, I'm serious!"

Mabel furrowed her eyebrows, but shrugged it off as they finally disappeared from their great uncle's line of sight. Stan waited for a few moments, then went back inside. His brother was already getting the decorations out. He questioned, "They're gone?"

"Yep, wasn't that hard." Stan cracked his knuckles. "When is everyone coming?"

"Right around—"

There was a rapping at the door.

"—now!"

Stan went to reopen the door, where there was now a significant amount of people waiting for any type of introduction. All of the guests had arrived through a covert web of messages. It went like this: They invited Fiddleford, Soos, Wendy, Candy, Grenda, and Pacifica, in which Wendy invited her family and friends, and they invited their family and friends, and so on. Stan groaned mentally; this was even more people than last year!

Stan clapped, "What're you waiting for? I'm not paying you to stand around!"

Wendy remarked, "You're not paying us at all, though—"

"No time for chit-chat! We have a party to set up!"

The guests brushed off their momentary indignation and began to flood into the now seemingly small shack. Then, there was a line of people exiting with party supplies in hand. Tables were being set up, covered by long, colorful sheets. Food was being lied out along the surfaces. Drinks were being poured in standard red, plastic cups. There was a lively ambience that came along with the work they were putting out. A variety of people took the myriad of decorations and hung them up. They taped streamers here and balloons there.

"The karaoke should go here!" Fiddleford claimed. Another man shook his head, "That looks awkward!"

"It's perfect! Convenient, centered, and appealing!"

"Are you crazy, old man?! It's completely unattractive!"

"Who do you think you're talkin' to?!"

"Get 'em! Get 'em!"

"Be quiet!"

"Don't silence the cheerleader!"

"Hey!" Stan entered the living room. He banged a wooden spoon against a pan, causing many to cover their ears and whine. He waved the pan, "Break it up! Leave it for when the party actually starts!"

There was a moment of incoherent grumbling, before the karaoke was set up where both men had agreed it was fine.

Both the inside and the outside of the shack was being worked on. The Corduroys moved around and stored away the furniture in the basement to make room for games and more tables. A large banner was put up at the very top of the shack, proclaiming in big, round letters, "Happy 14th Birthday!"

Stan went out the back, where a rusty truck filled with boxes and tools were waiting. The window rolled down to reveal a grungy, muscular man wearing shades. The con-man whispered, "You got the stuff?"

"Of course I do, you oversized raccoon." He tapped the side of the truck, cueing his coworker to step out and set down the boxes. Stan loaded their empty trunk with cages crowded with pugs. He instructed madly, "Now go! Get outta here!"

A cloud of dust was left in its wake. Stan opened one of the boxes and was graced with the brilliance of the packets of Smile Dip. Breathing in, he sighed, "Ah, the smell of illegal candy."

While he began to quickly reposition the boxes into the shack, Pacifica exited from the front door. Her eyesight was greeted with surprising teamwork and coordination.

"Honestly, how many people came?" Pacifica asked Ford as she leaned back against the totem. He was making sure no one was goofing off too much. They both enjoyed observing the rapid movement. He guessed, "I'm not entirely sure. Perhaps, half the town?"

"Really?" She snorted. "That's a bit much, don't you think?"

"Well, the more the merrier?"

She chuckled as she commented, "And what if some random guy just decided to come—"

Suddenly, a chill shot up her spine and tingled her scar. A small notion in her head was grateful that she still had her ability to sense dark power. However, when she turned around, there was nobody remotely threatening. Just the continuous chatter and activity of more party guests. Ford turned his focus on her to inquire, "Something the matter?"

"I hope not…" Pacifica mumbled as she still scrutinized the area. Out of nowhere, there was a large _bang,_ followed by multiple gasps. Pink, sugary liquid began to stain the grass and seep into the dirt. A table was toppled over, along with a large glass bowl. To their fortune, it was still in one piece. Stan cried out, "The punch! I risked my freedom for that!"

"Sorry, Mr. Pines," Wendy said sheepishly as she punched Robbie, "we'll go buy another one."

The group of teens left in Thompson's van to purchase more punch for the party. Ford sighed in annoyance while Pacifica tried to ignore her paranoia that most likely Dipper had rubbed off on her.

Speaking of which, he and his sister were currently treading through the forest with none other than Bill Cipher. Mabel took pictures of trees, flowers, birds, her brother, Waddles, Bill, her grappling hook, herself, all three of them without their knowledge or consent.

They were heading towards a certain area that required a certain path to be taken in a certain way, one that Bill had memorized in his eternal free time. Mabel couldn't stop herself from skipping. He glared, "That's annoying."

"So?!" She grabbed him by the collar and shook him, "A unicorn, Bill! I'm going to see an actual unicorn!"

She let go abruptly and seized Dipper's shirt, who had been standing idly by. Her shaking was even more aggressive, "A UNICORN!"

"Alright!" Dipper took her wrist and made her release him. Bill huffed, "Don't come crying when you realize they're full-blown asses."

She ignored his words and was still beaming like a crazy psychopath by the time they reached their supposed destination. The area seemed much more brighter, glittery, and all in all magical. Her eyes caught onto some fairies flying closely by. She gasped and hopped in place, unable to contain her excitement. More pictures were taken.

"Where are they?!" Mabel squealed, prompting Waddles to copy her. Bill rolled his eye, "Under human circumstances, they need to do this deep-voice chanting whatever. I can just ask."

In a split second, the area was blazing in blue and yellow. Mabel's happy expression froze as Dipper jumped, startled. He pushed forward and was about to strangle the dream-demon. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm asking."

"This is _not_ asking! This is nowhere _near_ asking!"

A trembling interrupted them as a glade dramatically rose from the ground. As Bill stopped the fire, the twins were amazed to find there was no part of the area that was even slightly singed. The doors opened, allowing a graceful creature to be gazed upon. Just as Bill was about to exit, his hand was in a crushing, iron grip from the female twin. Mabel's face was practically challenging the ethereal glow from the structure in front of them.

"I am Cellestabellebethabelle!"

"...Huh?" Dipper was squinting while Bill avoided looking at her. Mabel squeaked and took another picture, before stuffing the camera in her bag, "Oh, my _gosh! Oh, my gosh!_ "

She ran up to the creature right outside the doors and shook her hoof, "I am, like, your number one fan. I think you're super awesome and beautiful and I love your hair! Can I taste your neck?"

"This is insane." Dipper mused from afar.

"Is that why you have come?" The unicorn's horn glowed a hot pink whenever she spoke. Mabel replied blithely, "Yeah, partly. But the bigger reason was because—well, it's you! Or what you are! I mean, look!"

Mabel pulled her sweater, "It has a _unicorn_ on it!"

"Yes, yes, I see." The creature nodded, before focusing her attention on the dream-demon, "And why did you come here with _him?_ "

"What?" Mabel looked behind her, remembering that her brother and Bill were with her. Dipper blinked, looked at himself, then to Bill. He had his index finger switching back and forth between them as his face contorted with puzzlement. The blonde slapped it away, "She means me, you dumb meat doll."

"Indeed!" The unicorn neighed a hostile sound, "Those associated with the likes of _him_ are unworthy! Unpure!"

Mabel nervously smiled, "I-I don't understand…"

"He is filth, scum, a being of _true evil!_ "

"For a unicorn, I'm surprised you speak so much horseshit." Bill snarled. Dipper rubbed the back of his head and mumbled, "I kind of agree with both sides."

"What makes you say that?" Mabel questioned her lightly with discretely tense shoulders. "He has barely done anything wrong lately!"

"Are you serious? He had intended to burn our sacred home!"

"I was just asking!" Bill remarked. Mabel disregarded him, "Your home didn't even have a mark!"

"You dare argue with me?"

"I…" She noticed her feelings were much more heavy now. She shook her head, "No! No, I love you guys!"

A heart suddenly shone on her sweater, overtaking the unicorn that she adored so much. The unicorn retorted, "Well, I don't think I'm taking any liking towards _you_. Your heart is impure! Tainted by him!"

She shooed them away with her head, "Go on. Do not come back until you are... _pure of heart!_ "

"Y-Yes—" The doors shut on her face. "—ma'am…"

Mabel exhaled softly, causing Dipper to walk up to her and place a hand on her shoulder. He consoled, "Hey, don't worry. I wouldn't trust a creature like _that_."

Mabel looked at him with uncertainty, before shaking her head. "No, no. She's right. I _have_ been lacking in the goodness department! I make fun of you a lot, and I like to mess around with Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford."

Bill and Dipper watched as she stepped up and gazed at the sky. "But from now on, not anymore! I'll do so many good things, that I'll have the purest heart in all of Gravity Falls!"

Her loud declaration had sent the fairies in a frenzy, which caused many of them to hit trees and rocks. They plummeted one by one after releasing their tiny shrieks. The three watched them; Dipper was cringing, Bill was amused, and Mabel had an indifferent look. She gestured, "The fairies—They're fine."

Dipper could've sworn he heard a small voice shout, "No we're not!"

Bill declared in a monotonous voice, "Even though your idea of helping Gravity Falls citizens would be _fantastic_ , I think that—"

"Great, it's decided!" Mabel stuffed her grappling hook inside her bag. She seized Bill's hand and Dipper's vest collar and began to drag them back to the town. After a long time of hauling, bickering, agreeing, and walking, Bill chose to claim aloud.

"You're gonna do this for no real purpose, Shooting Star."

"Shush, do you hear that?" Mabel paused to listen. "It's the sound of people crying for help all over Gravity Falls!"

"I don't hear anything." Dipper interjected. She continued on her way. "I can because I can feel the desire in my heart to do good things!"

"Yeah, sure. And I have two eyes." He narrowed his lone eye. "Which I don't."

"Look, we're already here!" She showcased the majestic, old-timey appearance of the town.

"Okay, so we just need to go around Gravity Falls and help people!" Mabel clapped. "And you two are gonna help me help people! Or be my witnesses. Either works."

"I'd rather die." Bill deadpanned. Mabel hit his arm. "Don't be such a Debbie downer!"

"Bill. My name is Bill."

"Whatever, negative Nancy."

"Bill—"

"Anyway," Dipper cleared his throat, "I think I'm just gonna watch from the side."

"Sure, more good deeds for me!" Mabel twirled around. "Where should I start? Oh, Grunkle Stan might need—"

"Nah." Bill cut off abruptly. "It won't count since you've already helped them a lot. Try elsewhere, preferably far away from the shack."

"Uh…" Mabel shrugged. "Okay! Let's start with… that guy over there!"

An aged man was standing in front of quite an old-fashioned cart that was full of ripe, round cabbages. Dipper seemed slightly doubtful as Bill was downright fazed. That man appeared as if he didn't even belong here. Mabel bounced right up to him and gave her friendliest grin.

"HI, I'm Mabel Pines, and how may I assist you today?"

He hesitated. "How much?"

"Completely free!"

"Really?" His eyes sparkled, "Then please, help me sell my beloved cabbages!"

Mabel waved. "No problemo!"

There was a young man passing by. She clutched the end of his shirt and shouted, "YOU WANT A CABBAGE?"

"Let go of me!" The man stumbled on his feet as he fled the scene. Mabel frowned at the inconvenience. Dipper facepalmed while Bill failed to suppress a snicker. The old man was shocked, causing her to fret. She reassured, "Aha, I was just messing around!"

"O-Oh…"

"Here, I have a foolproof plan." Mabel picked up Waddles and spoke to him quietly. Once she let the pig off, he scurried up in front of a couple and sat down. His wide, teary eyes were very compelling, and much too adorable to look away from. The woman was captivated. "Oh, honey. This pig… it makes me wanna buy a cabbage."

"Really? Because I now feel like buying twenty." The couple nodded at each other in agreement. Mabel beamed and yelled, "Well, step right up to have your very own cabbage!"

At first, the couple were dubious, but seeing that they desperately desired a cabbage, they went over and pulled their money out. Other citizens also saw the lovely cabbages and the endearing pig, charming them into buying their own greens. Bill frowned; at this rate, Mabel would help out enough people, and they'd have to return to the shack too soon. He can't afford to fail his deal! He really wanted to see the Stan twins dance in the center of the town in their underwear!

With a flick, he shot a small flame right next to Waddles' hoof. The pig was greatly frightened, and rammed right into the cart. Wood exploded and dust soared as the cabbages rolled away from Mabel and the old man. The myriad of people began to pick them up hurriedly. The merchant cried, "My cabbages!"

Mabel frantically began picking up the cabbages and piling them in a safer spot. She stressed, "Don't worry, mister! I'll help you build your cart, and then we can sell more cabbages!"

He sighed. "You can just help me make my cart, but after that, I'll be on my way."

As his sister and the merchant started to reconstruct the cart, Dipper punched the dream-demon in the arm. He glared, "I saw you do that."

"Oh, no. You caught me!" Bill smirked. The male twin hissed, "Why did you even do that?"

"What can I say?" The blonde lied smoothly, "I have a trigger finger that even Shooting Star can't stop. Seeing her help people all day will be torture."

"Jerk." Dipper huffed. Bill was about to set another flame, one to set the cart on fire, until the male twin slapped his hand. The dream-demon growled, and Dipper clenched his fist. Mabel looked up, "Hey, you two better not be fighting!"

"We're just having another _friendly_ argument, Mabel," Dipper crossed his arms, keeping his eye on Bill. "Keep working."

"Aye, aye, Sir Dippingsauce."

And that's how the hours passed. Mabel speeding around Gravity Falls in efforts to assist anyone who had the slightest troubled look on their face. She was full of boundless amount of energy, never once showing any annoyance at the people she helped. Okay, maybe a few times, but she didn't give up!

In the meanwhile, however, Bill and Dipper were about to cut each other's heads off. Bill was always trying his best to sabotage whatever he could in order to delay time. Whereas, Dipper would always be there to stop him the second time, and if he was fortunate enough, the first time. They were steadily growing more and more vexed at the other. Mabel was ignorant to their apparent fury.

 _One more attempt to spoil her good deed later._

"Okay, _that's it!_ "

Dipper and Bill were tumbling on the ground, throwing blows at each other. Mabel, however, wasn't there to stop them. Waddles had ran off towards the cliff that was just above the railroad tracks. Being the good pet owner she was, she followed him in pursuit of wondering why he was running away in such a hurry.

Once Mabel found out where Waddles had run off to and why, she could no longer move. Another girl, maybe a little bit older, was standing by the cliff. She was peering over, her feet twitching to take a step. She couldn't be…

"Uh, hi!" Mabel called timidly. The girl was instantly alarmed that someone else was up there with her. She turned her head slightly, "What are you doing here?"

"I-I could be asking you the same thing!" Mabel gradually stepped closer. "That's a-a pretty dangerous spot to be in!"

"I know." The girl looked back at the edge of the cliff. "But it's freedom."

"That's not freedom." Mabel responded adamantly, "That's throwing yourself in a cage called death."

"What would you know?!" The girl snapped. "Why do you care?! Just turn around and leave like—like everyone else!"

"I'm not leaving until you're okay now!"

"So you're just gonna leave in the future?"

"I-I can't promise you eternal friendship," She gulped and coaxed, "but believe me when I say that someone else on this world can."

The girl hugged herself as she stepped slightly closer off the edge. Mabel was still inching towards her. "Haven't you ever wanted to explore the world? Haven't you ever wanted to feel what someone has to offer for you? What the world wants to show you? There are so many wonders that can makes you happy! Especially a friend!"

Mabel was only a few feet away now. "It's not that you want to die, you just want to start living."

Tiny, round tears were rapidly rolling off the girl's face.

Just as she was about to turn away from the edge, a strong gust of wind blew her off balance. Mabel froze as the girl shrieked, disappearing from her sight. Yanking her grappling hook out, the female twin raced off the cliff and jumped off without hesitation.

The wind whipped her hair and slashed at her face as her free hand was extended far in front of her. She could barely see through teary eyes, but she knew that she was closing in on the girl. Her dive position allowed her to speed up through the air. But she'd need to react fast, as they had just passed by the railroad. Suddenly, her hand caught onto the girl's clothing. Within a split second, Mabel embraced her as firmly as she possibly could.

The grapnel shot out above them and hooked right onto the railroad. There was a sharp jerk at the abrupt halt, which made Mabel grit her teeth. They swung back and forth until they eventually came to be stationary. She sighed with relief, before asking the girl, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah! What is that thing?"

The female twin grinned, "Grappling hook!"

The girl actually managed a small giggle, before exhaling. She disclosed her thoughts, "Your words and nearly dying really… made me think."

Mabel had her finger pressed against a button, which cautiously maneuvered them both towards the ground. The girl smiled a small smile.

"I think I do wanna start living, by my own accord."

They reached the ground.

"Thank you," She bowed, "Even if I don't know you, you're an absolutely wonderful person."

She turned on her heels and escaped before Mabel could stop her. Oh well, it only added more to the general human kindness factor. Even if she didn't know that girl, it didn't mean she couldn't help her out. And she was paid with compliments and gratitude. Mabel hopped around with joy; she felt like her goodness department was spilling over with liquid diamonds!

"Mabel!" Dipper ran after Waddles, with Bill right behind him. The pig was just as delighted as she was. He examined her briskly, "Are you okay?!"

"I'm more than okay!" Mabel pumped her fist, "I just rescued a girl from herself! Now I'm sure to have the purest heart in all of Gravity Falls!"

She pointed forwards, "Let's go back to the unicorn so she can bathe me with luck, magic, glitter, and worship!"

Bill looked up at the setting sun. It was almost time, anyway. He nodded silently, much to Dipper's suspicions and Mabel's glee.

Once they reached the glade, Mabel breathed in deeply, then marched right up to the doors. She knocked twice, and gave her most determined, brightest look. The doors opened dramatically once again to reveal Cellestabellebethabelle. The unicorn looked her up and down, but Mabel didn't back down. The female twin stood proud, "Go on! Check again!"

The heart shone on her sweater once more, but the unicorn still neighed in dissatisfaction. Mabel was dumbfounded, "W-What?"

Bill grounded his teeth, "Shooting Star…"

"That's not possible!"

"It is." The unicorn shook her head, "Your heart will just _never_ be able to change. It will always be impure!"

Mabel felt tears crawling in her eyes, until another voice called from behind the unicorn, "Whoa, whoa, hold up."

Two more unicorns stepped out from the shadows. The blue one scoffed, "Are you really trying to pull the 'pure of heart' scam again, C-Beth?"

" _What?_ " It was Dipper's turn to express his prominent rage. Cellestabellebethabelle growled, "Guys… shut up…"

"No, what are you guys talking about?" Dipper stood next to Mabel, who hadn't moved an inch. The blue unicorn explained bluntly, "She just pulls this scam to make humans leave. We can't actually see 'purity of the heart' or whatever, just wherever the closest rainbow is. Oh, and really cool rave music."

Bill and Dipper were just about to unleash their boiling wrath, until Mabel spoke with a strained voice.

"All this time… All this time, I thought I was a _bad_ person, but you're even _worse_ than me!" Her body quivered with rage as she shouted furiously, "And you know what?! I don't need your stupid opinion, anyways! I _know_ I'm a good person! I spent all day helping people and doing good things!"

"Please, that doesn't change the fact you hang out with that hooligan over there." Cellestabellebethabelle motioned. Mabel angrily pointed, "He's cooler than _you_ are! You're just—just a fake!"

"Boohoo, you discovered our secret!" Cellestabellebethabelle taunted, "Whatcha' gonna do about it? Huh? Huh?"

Colorful liquid stuck to her hand after she decked the unicorn straight in her muzzle. Mabel stared at it, while Bill cheered. The unicorn shook her head from the blow, before neighing harshly at the challenge. The female twin brushed aside all of her prior admiration towards these mystical creatures, and cracked her knuckles. Soon, the twins and the dream-demon were engaged in combat with three pretentious unicorns.

At the shack, Grunkle Stan called everyone for their attention. He announced, "Alright, the kids will be here any second!"

Just as he spoke, Mabel, Dipper, and Bill had all popped up from the shadows of the forest. The large crowd simultaneously greeted, "HAPPY FOURTEENTH BIRTHDAY!"

There was an awkward silence as they took in the colorful and beaten up look that the three had. Shiny, multicolored flecks and smears of dirt dominated their appearance. Their clothing was torn in various places, and their hair was disheveled. Mabel was missing her headband, and there was a massive rip in the middle of her sweater where her unicorn had once been.

But she was beaming. "Oh, my gosh! A surprise party?"

Dipper also grinned, "Let's get on with it!"

As the celebration commenced, Bill floated over to the great uncles. He smirked, "I did my part."

They sighed in apprehension of their future embarrassment.

* * *

 _Ten-year-old Dipper Pines was curious, smart, kind, and very, very selfless. He loved to observe his surroundings and study the way things do what they do. He loved to read any and all the books he could read. He never forgot to say what he meant, and he made sure to do his best, whether it be doing good in school, as a son, and as a brother._

 _Adults loved him._

" _Of course," He explained in a formal tone, "what is the use of wars against these countries? We all destroy ourselves! Global warming requires us to use a secondary, renewable energy source!"_

 _His science teacher chuckled, "Well, aren't you bright."_

" _Quite a few points there, dear," His history teacher commented. "You'll make a fine leader with that sort of voice and confidence."_

 _Books loved him._

 _Dipper sat in the public library, reading away as his sister ran around silently, playing with her dolls. His eyes scanned the words as quickly as he understood them. Suddenly, his infamous paranoia was nibbling at his brain. Someone was approaching behind him. However, he opted to keep reading, since paranoia often visited him._

 _At that moment, when one of the boys was about to creep up on him, a book had fallen out of its position on the shelf. It dropped onto the boy's head, smack dab in the center. It sent the boy collapsing onto the ground._

" _Ooh." Dipper whispered to himself as he turned the page, totally ignorant to the unconscious boy moaning in pain._

 _His family loved him._

" _First place for the Reading Bowl?" His mother hugged him tightly, "Oh, I'm so proud! Good job, sweetie!"_

 _His father ruffled his hair, "This calls for celebration!"_

" _Ice cream?!" Dipper gasped, also making Mabel anticipate their answer. Their parents nodded firmly, causing them to cheer._

 _Kids?_

" _Freak!"_

" _What kind of name is 'Dipper'?"_

" _Ew, gross!"_

" _Don't talk to me!"_

" _Oh, hey! Haha, Dipper didn't get any. Oh, man, and I thought I was the class loser. Hey, everyone, Dipstick didn't get any!"_

 _Not at all._

" _Stupid testosterone…" Dipper grumbled. "When I'm older, I'll get so much more than them. And maybe a leather jacket… a tattoo? Oh, and a girlfriend… yeah…"_

 _Suddenly, one of the meaner girls popped up in front of him, followed by her posse. He scrunched his nose in disgust, "What do you want?"_

" _Chill, Pines. We just came to tell you that we saw your sister running out into the forest," The girl claimed. Dipper had just exited the school after getting back his school supplies from a couple of older boys. He frowned, "What? She knows not to go in there around this time."_

" _I don't know, I could've recognized that… girl anywhere."_

" _Is this a joke?" Dipper hoped. The girl shook her head, "I'm serious! And I wouldn't wanna take any risks. Something may happen to her!"_

" _Well, why didn't you stop her?" Despite his words, he was already preparing to make a dash into the forest. The girl was smirking as he was facing away from her._

" _I got scared. I thought I saw something else in there."_

 _He was already gone by the time she finished her sentence; his school stuff was abandoned on the concrete._

* * *

The next morning was… particularly interesting.

Mabel groaned as she held her head, "What happened?"

She looked around at the trashed room and grimaced at the dry stickiness of her mouth. Patting her face, sugar and Smile Dip attached itself to her fingers. She was a lot more exhausted than she's ever been at a hardcore party. Bringing her gaze upon her brother, he was knocked out cold. A chuckle rose from her throat. Of course her brother would be in a worst condition. He didn't have the kind of party hangover tolerance that she has.

She exited the room to wash herself off in the bathroom. After a refreshing shower and clean clothes, she entered the room to find Dipper still asleep. That wouldn't do! It was their fourteenth birthday, for crying out loud!

Dipper blinked opened his crusty eyes to a chin and a pair of googly eyes. The mouth moved, "Hey, Dipper! You wouldn't wanna miss out on Mr. Upsidedownington, would you?!"

"AAH!" He toppled out of bed with the blankets tangled in his limbs. Mr. Upsidedownington revealed to be Mabel, who was excited as ever. Dipper laughed, "Oh, no. Not Mr. Upsidedownington…"

"Mr. Upsidedownington thinks you need to shower!" Mabel continued in her fake voice. "Also, nice marker tattoo!"

"What?!" Dipper ran to the bathroom, and lo and behold, a triangle with an eye in the middle stuck out on his cheek like a sore. The most annoying part was the fact the triangle had a stick hand, and that stick hand was making quite a rude gesture, even if it only had three fingers. His other cheek had the words "REVENGE" written boldly. Dipper groaned, "I'm gonna take some time trying to wash this off."

"Good luck with that!" Mabel said. After about half an hour in the shower, Dipper came back, appearing as crisp as she was. It looked as though nothing happened to them while they stood in a room where a candy tornado may as well have occurred.

Once the younger twins reached the bottom of the stairs, bands of cloth were tied over their eyes. Suddenly, hands flew over their mouths and pulled them outside the shack. Dipper tried to break free and rescue them both from the current predicament. Mabel licked the kidnapper's hand, to which he retracted it immediately. She only grinned, "Those were six fingers! Grunkle Ford, what's going on?"

"Shoot…" Ford grumbled. Stan exhaled in exasperation, "Good going, Poindexter, you gave it up!"

"Can someone tell us what's going on?" Dipper pleaded. Stan's gruff voice was quite giddy, "Happy fourteenth birthday, you runts!"

"This is our gift!" Ford shoved the two kids into the car. As the older Pines began driving them off into the unknown, Mabel whispered, "Well, isn't this exciting?"

"Our gift is a kidnap-victim simulation?" Dipper questioned. Stan scoffed, "That's ridiculous! I already gave you that last Christmas!"

"Right… shouldn't have forgotten about that." Dipper replied. Stan agreed, "Uh, duh. That was the whole point of your gift!"

Dipper blew a raspberry. "Where are we going?"

"Just keep the blindfold on, kid." Stan ordered the younger twins. Mabel mindlessly waved her hands around, "That's okay with me! It makes me feel everything at a whole new level!"

Dipper snorted, "Haha, stop it! That's my face!"

"It's your cells!"

Unexpectedly, the car bumped against something, causing them to bounce off their seats. Dipper questioned again, "Uh, are you guys wearing blindfolds too, or something?"

"No, but with these cataracts, I might as well be!" Stan narrowed his eyes and leaned in, "What is that? A trashcan?"

"This will be great fun!" Ford said cheerily, already used to how reckless Stan drives. The twins often rose from their seats and screamed at abrupt sounds of collision. Finally, the car came to a sudden halt. Ford stated, "And that's why we wear seatbelts, kids!"

The twins exited the somewhat scruffy vehicle, and took off their blindfold. Stan and Ford were both geared out in some unbuttoned collared shirts, cargo shorts, and fishing vests and hats while showcasing the large banner. The former twin proclaimed, "Ta-da! It's fishing season!"

He pointed to Ford, "And thanks to our nerd here, we have the best boat in Gravity Falls!"

"The original name was Stan o' war, because, well, only Stanley and I used to go fishing every year, but now you kids can come along with us!" Ford introduced his sophisticated boat, "We call it now: the Pines o' war!"

It was a pretty sleek trawler, with some visible usage located at the bottom of the boat. Dipper was in awe, "Whoa, that's so cool! And this'll be our first time fishing!"

Stan grinned as he held up an infamous book, "I even brought along the jokes!"

Dipper's awe vanished. "No—NOO!"

Ford put two fishing hats on the younger twins' heads that were respectively labeled "Dippy" and "Mabel." He mentioned blithely, "Stan handmade them."

"They're so cute!" She secured hers on her head. Dipper didn't know how to feel about wearing two hats at the same time. Ford pushed them inside the boat, then threw their bags aboard. The great uncles climbed on after them. Ford elaborated, "I made sure to pack your camera since I know that you love to take pictures, Mabel."

"Aw, sweet!"

Ford got the boat started and moving as Stan was teaching Dipper how to put on his bait and throw the hook in the water. She took out her camera and began taking a myriad of pictures. It was all so heartwarming and such a pleasure to the eye! These were sure to go in her scrapbook!

The scientist set the boat on autopilot and stepped out on the deck to join his family.

"Ten bucks that you can't catch a fish with your feet!"

Stan shook his hands with Mabel, "You're on!"

They laughed and enjoyed the mildly hot day out on the lake. The water was a navy blue, deep and mysterious. Probably slightly polluted from motorboats and litter, but still shimmering with elegance. Peering over, Mabel could see the fish swimming hastily along the surface, where some of them dove deeper into the water. Besides the lame jokes, the twins had never had so much fun doing something so simple, so normal.

"Look, I got one!" Dipper held a smaller than average fish on his line. Stan snorted, causing Ford to elbow him in the gut. The scientist commended, "Well done, my boy!"

Mabel took another picture of Dipper beaming as he held the fish up. After she was done, he took the hook off and tossed it back into the lake. She thrusted her camera into her Grunkle Ford's chest and took hold of her own fishing pole. She said, "Watch how it's done!"

"You've never went fishing before!"

"I'll still do better!" With a grunt, she hurled the hook far out into the lake. It was only a few moments until she was suddenly yanked forward. Her abdomen hit the raised edge of the boat, making her groan in pain. The three males yelped in surprise as they tried to help her pull out whatever she had snagged on. However, the line broke, and whipped back. Ford was in disbelief, "I modified these lines to strengthen their endurance!"

"Yeah, well, whatever that was, it was definitely stronger than your science," Stan remarked. Dipper rose an eyebrow, "What _was_ that?"

"Who knows?" Mabel wiggled her fingers in a spooky manner, "Maybe it was the _great lake monster_ — _"_

Out of nowhere, a monumental figure burst from the lake, splashing ample amounts of water on the Pines. It soared over their heads, shadowing the trawler. Mabel shrieked, "Holy crap, it's the great lake monster!"

"What in the world?!" Stan held onto the kids as the boat aggressively rocked back and forth. There was another giant wave of water that doused them all as the creature landed in the lake. Ford darted to the edge and scanned for the being, but there was no sign of it. Stan demanded, "What the heck was that?!"

"The Gobblewonker, an ancient lake monster." Ford described to him instantly, "Fiddleford had told me about it. He attempted an imitation of the creature a long time ago as a prank. But it was destroyed by the creature itself."

"Fiddleford used to be really immature, huh?" Dipper mused. Ford shrugged, "Pretty much."

"Well, isn't that great!" Stan threw his hands up. All the males jumped at Mabel's scream. She panicked, "My camera! Where's my camera?!"

"It must have fallen on accident," Ford guessed with a hand on his chin.

"Is your camera even waterproof?!" Dipper asked her. Before she could reply, Ford interrupted, "I happen to have tweaked that as well for this trip, although I hadn't exactly anticipated the attack…"

"Look!" Mabel pointed in the water. The Pines observed as the camera's neck strap was hanging on the creature's lengthy neck. They both disappeared into the depths of the water. She cried, "We have to get it back! I didn't get to print out my pictures from yesterday, and I took so many today! I still need to take more!"

"No worries, sis." Dipper consoled, "I'm sure we'll get it back."

"Oh, we are getting it back," Stan declared, "No matter the costs."

"Okay, now that's a little—" Dipper was cut off as Ford nodded, "Yes, we will dive deep and explore wide if we have to!"

"Look, I don't think—"

"Yes, let's do it!" Mabel blurted. His twin and his great uncles all looked at him for his response. Dipper sighed, before perking up, "Let's get that camera back!"

They all cheered. "Yeah!"

Ford took control over the boat again, checking his radars and navigating the boat around the grand lake. He continuously checked to see if his radar had caught the signal of anything. Stan and Dipper leaned over the edge with fishing poles, and Mabel had her grappling hook armed and ready. The scientist shouted, "He's near!"

"Alright, let's show this old, stinky thief who's boss!" Mabel pronounced. Dipper grinned cheekily as he whacked Stan on his head. Their great uncle complained, "Hey! I'm no reptile!"

Dipper shrugged sheepishly. At a moment's notice, the Gobblewonker emerged from the surface and leaped over their boat once again. Stan reeled his fishing line back, "Get ready, you overgrown lizard—!"

A surge of freshwater tackled him down onto the boat. Dipper and Mabel both gave a battle cry, but her grappling hook only jabbed the creature's rounded body. Dipper went wide-eyed when his hook _actually_ caught onto the fin of the lake monster. Suddenly, he was wrenched away from the boat and diving into the water, leaving both of his hats drifting onto the boat's floor.

"Dipper!" Ford cried out. Stan hacked out more liquid, and Mabel was feverishly surveying the water.

 _I greatly underestimated our predicament!_ His notion wailed. Dipper kept his eyes open and his hold fastened as the Gobblewonker swam rapidly through the water. It seemed to have sensed that something was dragging it down, so it came to a standstill. Bending its long, scaly neck, Dipper was met eye-to-eye with its dark, jade ones. It took no time at all for his chest to ache from the lack of oxygen. Opening his mouth, only bubbles arose. Dipper rushed upwards and gasped for air.

"There he is!" Mabel alerted. Ford shifted gears and sailed the boat towards Dipper. The Gobblewonker perceived the fast ripples in the water, and began seamlessly moving through the murky, blue deep, hauling the young boy with it. Dipper continuously spat out water that overwhelmed his taste buds and endured the force of the water against his body.

Ford growled, putting the boat on autopilot once more. The boat was no longer chasing after the monster, but rather speeding perpendicular to it. Stepping out onto the deck, he commanded, "Hand me that grappling hook, dear."

Mabel gave it to him wordlessly. Ford nodded, "Stanley, launch me!"

The con-man grinned as he lifted up his brother and pitched him with great accuracy. Ford squinted his eyes as he flew over his grandnephew. Whirling around in the air, he shot the grapnel at the boat and used the momentum to snatch Dipper. Once the two landed safely on the boat, Stan cracked his knuckles and prepared to jump off, "Now it's my turn!"

He sprung off with such force, the boat nearly flipped upside-down. Stan dove straight at the Gobblewonker, colliding with it underwater. He tore the camera from its neck and gripped onto its rugged skin tightly. Extremely distraught and disturbed, the lake monster erupted from the lake once more and glided over the boat with Stan riding on top of it. He cackled as he rushed off of its back, "Thanks for the ride, sucker!"

Landing safely, there was a final gush of water, then serenity took over once more. The great uncles fist bumped as the younger twins were still recovering from the experience. Mabel flung her hands around, "That was super flipping awesome!"

"Yeah, you guys have the coolest great uncles in the world," Stan bragged as he rubbed his knuckles against his chest. He plopped the camera in her hands, to which she pressed it against her cheek lovingly, "Oh, my sweet baby!"

Mabel placed a hand on her hip, "Even though I'm eternally grateful, it doesn't mean I won't whip your butt at fishing!"

Stan and Ford's faces cracked with rapture. Dipper barged in, "You're on!"

After a whole day of ordinary fun, the birthday twins and their great uncles returned to the shack. They smelled like raw fish and wet dog combined, so showers were the only thing occupying their minds. Once they entered the living room, two rectangular, mini presents were located on the table. The younger twins glanced at each other, before racing towards the table. Stan and Ford smiled as the kids viciously ripped apart the wrapping and the ribbons.

"Whatcha get us? What'd we get?" Mabel flipped open the tiny box to reveal… a pink crystal. Dipper's box also contained the same crystal, but blue in color. She nibbled it, "Is this rock candy?"

"No, silly kid," Stan scolded, "and don't put anything that looks like candy in your mouth!"

"What are these?" Mabel flipped it over and back. Dipper's face lit up with recognition, "These are crystal communicators!"

"Bingo!" Stan praised. Ford nodded, "This'll make it better for us to contact each other and anyone else in case of emergency."

"How do I turn this thing on…?" Dipper mumbled as he analyzed the blank crystal. Mabel was repeatedly poking it in hopes of finding serendipity. Stanford's words didn't really register in their ears. Irked at being ignored, he snatched the crystal from Dipper's hand, who let out a distressed, "Hey!"

Ford pressed a specific spot on the crystal, causing it to light up with holographic shapes. Dropping it into his grandnephew's hands, he and his brother watched as the two younger twins were fully immersed with their new technology. Ford rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Perhaps this was a mistake."

"Don't worry, Grunkle Ford!" Mabel wasn't very reassuring as she continued to look down, "We're just setting these up so they're good to go!"

"All right, well, you should shower first before anything else," Ford suggested. Dipper turned around and began walking away, but still had his gaze on the crystal, "Got it."

He bumped into the wall.

"I still got it."

* * *

" _Mabel!" Dipper sprinted as fast as he could, "Where are you?!"_

" _Help!" He could hear her desperation. It was so rare, and so very discomforting. "Please!"_

 _He skidded to a stop and found her at the base of a tree. But he only took a second to look at her before his eyes locked onto the drooling wolf in front of her. It didn't look like it was asking for any type of caressing, nor did it want to play. It was ravenous, and food was just in its sight._

 _The young twins were frozen. Mabel pleaded, "Dipper… do something…!"_

" _I-I…" His eyes darted at the large rock at his feet, then back at the wolf. She felt her fingers twitch and her breathing erratic. Suddenly, everything became slow motion when the wolf pounced towards Mabel._

 _His feet and hands flew on their own. Control was out of his grasp._

 _And once recognition finally phased through his mind, there was crimson liquid dripping down his cheek and splattered across his clothes. However, Dipper had no clue why he was standing in between the animal and his sister. Mabel seemed relatively unharmed, but she appeared as though the life was sucked out of her. The wolf in front of them was inanimate, just like the tainted rock lying next to it._

 _And that's how their parents found them._

* * *

It was already winter.

Snow almost always fell day after day. If not, the sky was just grey, and the air was like walking in ice.

"What's this?" Dipper eyed the open folder lied down in front of him. Pacifica explained, "It's your first mission outside of Gravity Falls."

"Huh? Why?" He furrowed his eyebrows. She stated simply, "There are small towns and cities across the nation that require assistance against the monsters. It would be a great boost in our reputation and union."

She gestured, "This mission will only be located somewhere near the coast of Oregon. It's a good start to give you a taste of what you'll be doing from now on. Plus, you're going to be my guinea pig so I can see who and where I can send my other Soul Fighters."

"So you're saying I memorized everyone and everything in Gravity Falls for nothing?"

"Of course not." She rolled her eyes. "It will still be very useful."

"Right…"

"Well, what're you waiting for?" Pacifica waved him off. He arched an eyebrow, "You realize I don't really know how to teleport, right?"

"Just channel your thought of destination into soul essence and send it into the teleporter."

"Of course, more learning on the job." Dipper saluted, "I'll see you later."

Pacifica was a little surprised he was being so friendly with her, but decided to reply anyways, "You better."

Dipper took the file and made his way to the teleportation pad in the corner, and stood on it. Closing his eyes, he focused his thoughts and pushed them downwards into the pad. Opening one eye, he found that he was still in the office. Pacifica was staring at him with a blank look. He flushed, "Give me a moment!"

He closed his eyes again and ignored Pacifica's presence in hopes that it would help him. He repeated his actions with more precision this time, and before he knew it, light absorbed him.

He reopened his eyes to find an old man and a young woman staring at him. He waved uneasily, "Uh, hello."

 _Be professional_ , He could practically hear Pacifica's voice berate him in his head. Dipper cleared his throat, "My name is Dipper Pines, and I'm here to assist you on your—"

He briefly checked the folder, "—pest issue."

"Oh, yes," The woman nodded, "there are small monster things that keep destroying our vegetation!"

"I'll get right to it then!" Dipper stepped off the pad and out into the open. The town's ranking of modernization was very much similar to Gravity Falls, although the difference was it was more ocean dependent. Fishing and fish-based stores were located all along the boardwalk that was close to the shore. People wore clothes that suited the currently cold weather, however. Seeing that fishing season was over, people depended on the crops they grew and the fish they caught during the summer.

The male twin spotted a mini monster tearing apart the leaves of a tree, and leaped to kill it. The creature evaded his attack and skittered across the ground. It actually took Dipper a few minutes of repeatedly stabbing the ground and boosting his speed to take out the little thing.

He checked the folder again, and puffed with exasperation, even when he had barely done anything. There was a _lot_ more to eliminate.

A few hours later, Mabel was skipping through town, her own mission in mind. She made sure to show everyone how beautiful her teeth were without the train tracks on top! If not for Pacifica's reflexes, they would banged into each other as they both rounded the corner. The blonde reprimanded, "Shouldn't you be more careful? The roads and sidewalks are icy."

"True, true," Mabel twirled, "But I can't help it! Look!"

Mabel grinned, flashing her straight, pearly white teeth. Pacifica was taken aback at the brightness, "Whoa, you got your braces taken off?"

"Yep! It's been two years. And you're the final person that I've shown it to! It's also at the expense that I wear retainers every night, but it's all part of the process!"

"What process?" The blonde arched an eyebrow. Mabel flipped her hair, "The process of beauty, of course."

Pacifica snorted. The two females started walking towards Greasy's Diner.

"Don't you have any other clothes?"

"Huh?" The blonde responded as they took their seats. Mabel chided, "If you always wear the same clothing, how will people know your favorite type of chip sauce? Or what thing you'll be doing that day?"

"I have other clothing," Pacifica pursed her lips, "but not as random as yours."

"They're all wonderfully crafted by yours truly!"

Their food appeared on the table. Pacifica prompted, "You know, I've always wondered. Do you go to school?"

"Uh," Mabel scratched her cheek, "well, no. But Grunkle Ford likes to pull me from my free time and teach me a lot!"

She pointed at the blonde, "I could ask you the same thing, though!"

"Private tutors." Pacifica voiced with a hint of smugness. Mabel mumbled, "Fancy."

She groaned and threw herself on the table, "I know I said you were the last person to show my beautiful teeth to, but Bill hasn't seen them yet! I actually haven't seen him in a day or two."

"Tragic." Pacifica sipped her coffee. "I'm sure he might be off, doing conniving nonsense."

"Old habits die hard," Mabel input, "like how Dipper still sings Disco Girl in the bathroom sometimes."

A pause.

"Was I supposed to know that?"

"...No."

Her tone of voice seem to disregard the slip-up, yet there was still a trace of mirth, "Anyway, I feel like I must inform you that your brother will be attending missions outside of Gravity Falls from now on. But it won't be anything he can't handle."

"Why?"

"Political reasons and… justice." Pacifica clarified. Mabel hummed, "I guess I don't need to be worried about him, then. What about you? Got any secret feelings of dread or, maybe, love, for my dear bro-bro?"

Despite her hurried tongue, Pacifica understood her clearly. The headmistress scowled, causing Mabel to laugh. The brunette waved dismissively, "Don't worry, you have my blessing!"

"Shush!"

" _Dipper and Pacifica sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N—_ "

With a precise flick, a spoonful of pancakes invaded Mabel's mouth. Pacifica smirked as the brunette was forced to chew. She pointed her fork at the headmistress, "How dare you!"

"I think I did the public a favor."

"The people don't seem to mind."

"I'm a part of the public," Pacifica shrugged, "A bigger part."

"But you're one person."

"It's not about quantity, it's about the quality." Pacifica twirled her fork, before shoving the pancake in her mouth, "It's how the world works."

"Don't be such a Bill…"

"Are you so in love that everything reminds you of him?"

" _No!_ " Mabel shot up to cover her mouth. She leaned in and said in a hushed voice, "He might be _listening_."

Pacifica rolled her eyes and swatted her hand away. "If he hasn't gotten the message yet, then there surely must be something wrong with his senses."

"I'm just good at being subtle!"

Pacifica was adamant. "Not at all."

Mabel pouted.

Without either of them knowing, Dipper had arrived back at Gravity Falls. He stepped off the teleporter and took his shoes off to pour sand out the windows. He felt exhausted both physically and spiritually since that first mission required him to hop around in unknown territory and chase after little bitty monsters.

That area wasn't even outside of the state, and yet he still had some difficulty getting around so he could finish the job faster. Perhaps he could brush up on his geography to have an advantage for his next mission. There was no telling how different a state would be from its neighbor, and he knew from experience because California and Oregon were _quite_ dissimilar indeed.

There was already a few inches of snow by the time Dipper made it to the library. Closing the door behind him, the frigid wind was shut out from the inside of the warm, comfortable room full of books from across the globe.

It didn't take long at all for him to detect the notorious dream-demon also within the small building. Dipper was greatly surprised to see Bill in the library, actually _searching_ for books instead of burning them. He approached him carefully, "What are you doing here?"

"Wasting my time, it seems." Bill flipped through a few pages of a worn book, before throwing it over his shoulder. He was quite solemn, Dipper noticed. The blonde brought his attention onto the male twin, who looked back at him with uncertainty in his eyes. The dream-demon stated flatly, "Do you know that Shooting Star nearly lost control when you almost died? Both times, actually."

Dipper eyed him skeptically, "What are you talking about…?"

"Her feelings can trigger her power," Bill seemed to be speaking from a report, "and that power is something you or her don't want to lose control of."

Bill stared him in the eyes. "Do you know why your city was destroyed?"

"How do you—"

"They sensed her. They were looking for her—"

"Shut up!" Dipper finally yelled, "What the heck are you saying?! Who is 'they'? What power would _Mabel_ have?"

Bill casted his gaze downward. "I'm not sure who, and I don't wanna believe in my own knowledge. That's the fucking _infuriating_ part."

He looked back at the male twin. "Whatever she may possess, though, doesn't change my opinion of her. I advise you feel the same way."

Then, he vanished.

Dipper's fingers twitched, before he sat down at the table. His initial intention of reading about the geography of each of the states in the United States was wiped clean. He couldn't help but pick up a book of his own and begin reading for whatever he was supposed to be researching for that may regard Soul Fighter powers and Soul Fighter history.

His mind flashed back to his family, to his original city, to the attack, to anything that may contain clues that could connect Bill's words and the possible, hidden truth.

* * *

 _A week later after the incident, Mabel seemed to have recovered from witnessing the unfortunate occurrence between her brother and the wolf. She would surround herself by much sweeter, adorable animals to replace the appearance of the fallen predator._

 _However, Dipper was another story. Before the experience with the wolf, he had been training with his father in becoming a Soul Fighter. Mabel was given the option to only observe. But for Dipper, he had just woken up one Saturday morning a few months ago, eaten breakfast, expecting a regular day. Out of the blue, he and his dad were holding wooden swords and were standing out in the backyard._

" _What's this for?"_

" _Soul Fighter training!" His dad grinned, "You'll need to start learning now while you're still young!"_

" _Um… why?" He asked politely. His father only stated vaguely, "It'll be important for the future."_

 _Still unconfident, Dipper disregarded the feeling and went through with the practices._

 _Although, currently, his feelings were much stronger, now. His hands shook when he swung, and his mind always flashed back to the blood that was not his, yet it spotted his skin._

 _One day, he confessed._

" _I'm sorry," Dipper sniffed, "but I don't think I want to continue Soul Fighter training right now. I-I can't."_

 _His dad opened his mouth to say something, but his mother beat him to it, "Oh, honey, that's fine. We can continue another day. Now, go play."_

 _His eyes seem to light up, before he ran off to find Mabel inside their house. He was practically bouncing with excitement when Mabel saw him. She asked, "You asked?"_

" _I asked!" He beamed, "They agreed!"_

" _Yay! Let's play some mini golf now!" Mabel grinned, before frowning as she looked around, "Wait, I think I forgot my stick downstairs. Set up the course!"_

" _Okay!"_

 _Mabel sprinted to the first floor and looked for her golf club. Her smile widened when she found it, but her ears had caught onto something just when her hands seized the club._

" _You know we can't allow him to take too much time off! He needs to be ready!"_

" _He's just a child! I know what we have to do as Soul Fighters, but I am a mother first!"_

 _Their voices became softer. Mabel struggled to listen._

" _...they'll need to...it'll be too late...needs to learn…protect Mabel no matter what..."_

 _Her mother became firmer, "It's as I said: we'll continue another day. But right now, he just… killed a regular creature of Earth. Give him some time!"_

 _He demanded, "Do we have time?"_

 _There was a moment of silence, yet they hadn't resumed their intense conversation. Mabel ran back upstairs._

* * *

Dipper slowly stepped up the stairs, onto the porch, and prevented himself from going further. His hand twitched as his heart hammered in his chest. The pounding was banging in his ear— _thump, thump, thump—_

The door opened. "Dipper? Get in here; you'll freeze!"

Ford's worried look was nearly enough to let his mouth run on about all the questions on his tongue. The great uncle left the doorway clear for him to enter. Mechanically, the young boy stepped inside, one foot right after the other. Stan noticed his odd way of moving, "The bathroom is free."

Dipper shook his head. His voice was weak, distant, afraid, "Can we talk?"

Ford looked at Stan, who looked at him back. They nodded at the same time and made their way to the dining table. Dipper stood by the edge, stiff as a tree. His eyes were allowing the great uncles to see the gears shifting, turning, changing, in his head. Suddenly, his mouth was dry and his tongue was dead weight. The pounding only got louder, and he barely heard Stan ask, "Kid, are you okay?"

He wasn't. He felt like he was drowning in something that had no volume, no surface to exit, or that he was stuck inside a room with no windows, no air, nothing to use, no one to see. He had never been more scared of knowing something, and he never thought that it would be about _himself_ and _Mabel_. Regardless… he had to know. He _had to._

"Why…" His mind stopped for a split second. It was now or never.

"...Why are we here? Why are Mabel and I… here?"

To him and to his family and to the entire world that sounded like a _very_ _stupid_ question. The great uncles blinked, expecting some kind of chuckle to arise from Dipper. His mouth didn't manage a single twitch. Ford furrowed his eyebrows, "I-I'm sorry?"

Dipper's voice quavered, "I'm sorry, I just…"

He breathed.

"The night before my parents and my town were attacked, what happened before that?" Dipper shot out abruptly, "We were obviously too young to know anything. Did mom and dad ever seem… suspicious?"

"I…" Ford took his own deep breath to settle his startled mind, "I wouldn't use the term _suspicious_. They just seemed… secretive."

"What do you mean?" A small part of Dipper wished that his great uncles would say "nevermind!" or tell him that he was wrong and that his parents weren't hiding anything from them. Ford was deaf to his inner thoughts, "When you were born, your dad had never taken his eyes off of your mark."

"M-My birthmark?" Subconsciously, he reached up to graze it with his fingers. Stan frowned, inputting his own observations, "And your mom shared this look with your dad, a strange one."

"They knew something, didn't they?" Dipper fretted instantly, "What did they know?!"

"Whoa, kid, keep in mind that we were kept in the dark, too," Stan reminded calmly. Ford shook his head, "We can't tell you exactly what you want to know, but we can tell you what they had said once."

Dipper's breath hitched, "...Yeah?"

Ford felt guilty for the answer he was about to give. It wasn't anything too grand or complicated. "It was just to protect you two at all costs if anything were to ever happen to them. But they never specified why or when, which we, of course, found odd, but didn't question. We assumed it was just an overprotective parent thing."

The young boy was visibly crestfallen, "...That's it? They—did they know what was going to happen to them? That'd they die?"

His question went unanswered. He dropped his gaze to the floor, disappointed, more perplexed than ever. The great uncles felt the dissatisfaction waving off of Dipper. Ford pursed his lips, "There's some things that you'll have to figure out yourself. We don't know."

"I've been trying!" He fumed abruptly, "I've looked at almost every historic book in the library, I've been asking questions and trying to connect the pieces, but I just don't have enough information!"

"That's okay!" Stan waved his hand, "You might just be overthinking this!"

" _What?_ " He was appalled, "You think that this was just some _coincidence?_ "

"Kid—"

" _No!_ " Dipper snarled, "My parents _died_ for a reason! A reason that they didn't tell anyone! They didn't even tell _you_!"

The great uncles couldn't respond to their furious grandnephew. Dipper clutched his forehead, "Were they raising us because we were their children? Or because we were more important in the long run? Did they—"

A pang wrenched his heart. "Did they even care about _us_?"

"Of _course_ they did, Dipper!" Ford snapped, but painfully slow in his ears, "They _sacrificed_ themselves for you!"

"For what reason?!"

"The obvious reason! They loved you two both!"

"If they _loved_ us so much, why were they _hiding_ something from us?!" Tears stung his eyes as he yelled, breaking his voice, "They're not even _here anymore_ and they're _still_ hiding it!"

" _Damn it, Dipper_!" Stan stood up and slammed the table, "How are you so blind? To _protect_ you!'

"Both of you _stop_ this _right now_!" Ford also rose to his feet. Dipper stood his ground, "Why? Are you afraid of the truth?"

"Dipper, you're digging too deep into nothing!" The scientist tried to reason with him. Dipper rapidly shook his head, "I know that there is more to this, and so do you two!"

Ford hesitated while Stan motioned wildly, "And then what, Dipper? What's next after you uncover some _grand_ secret? What do you gain from it?"

"I—" He choked, "—I don't know."

Dipper held back frustrated tears, "But I _need_ to know."

"Why?" Ford questioned. "Why are you asking now? What made you want to know _now_?"

He squeezed his arm and conceded, "Bill said Mabel almost… _did_ something when I got hurt during Pacifica's party, and when Gideon attacked us. He said she's got some sort of… power."

"What power?" Ford urged. Dipper looked lost, "I don't know."

Everyone went quiet. All at once, a series of thoughts clicked in his head, forming the epiphany that he was so very afraid of, yet so eager for. He gripped his arm tighter. "What if… that's why?"

Ford nearly refused to ask. "...What?"

"The main reason mom and dad died…" Dipper looked at them both, "was to… protect Mabel…?"

The floor far beside them creaked loudly under pressure, and all three males whirled their heads towards the entrance of the shack.

The door hit against the wall with such force, it rattled the rest of the shack's walls and the items resting on it. A few smaller objects descended to the floor and even fewer broke from the height. Dipper bolted to the door to check who had done it; his guess was instantaneous. He really, really hated being right, sometimes.

"Mabel! Wait!"

Her back was fading as she sprinted towards the forest. The snow beneath her was traitorous, leaving her footsteps for him to follow. And he did.

Their great uncles' shouts were already distant and faint. It was muffled by the freezing wind blowing on his ears. He didn't bother stopping, or turning around to wait. He just had to find her.

He felt ten all over again, chasing after his sister into the forest in fear that something might happen to her. Except, this time, she appeared that she didn't want to be found. But now, he could save her from whatever voracious animal that she might cross.

"Stop!"

She didn't yield, and neither did he. They both kept running deeper and deeper into the white maze with walls made of trees. The crunching of snow and the sound of his breathing replaced the drumming in his ear. However, his foot caught onto an overgrown root, causing him to plunge into the frigid crystals. By the time he hoisted himself up, Mabel was out of his sight. But the footprints were still there.

Whereas, on the other hand, Mabel was fleeing for reasons unbeknownst to her. She was terrified and confused and hurt and in heavy _denial._ Her parents death; weren't they just unlucky? Did they really _die_ because of _her_? Why did this have to be much more complicated than it seemed? Why couldn't they had just moved on with their lives? Why did she need to question her _own_ existence?

Her body gave out on her as she collapsed onto her knees and held herself up with her hands. White filled her vision, whether it was from the snow or from the spots in her eyes. She had no idea how long she had been running, where she had been running, or exactly why. But it was such a compelling impulse; it seemed so promising. It was as if physically running away from the problem at hand was the best choice because it steeled her mentality of ignoring the issue.

Out here, she wouldn't be bothered. She could stay here for a few seconds or minutes or hours and just take a _break_ from reality. She could just sit here and think about something she didn't want to think about. She could just relish the peace and quiet and maybe sleep for a little while. She could do so many things out here.

She could… could...

...could…

 _...freeze._

The light around her faded. The air became impossibly more frigid, gnawing at her bare skin, but there was no ice on her cheeks. It wasn't from the weather. No, this was another type of cold.

Mabel looked up, and immediately, all of her torturous feelings swirled into one: fear for her life. _These_ creatures were no wolves. They were gigantic, terrifying, bloodthirsty, dark beings. Four, five, six, eight, ten, fourteen, twenty-two—

She was surrounded.

 _I don't understand_. Her thoughts buzzed like a beehive. _They're here now?_

"Mabel!"

Dipper was high up in the air, against the pale light from the sky. She turned her gaze onto him, watching him as he shot down and sliced through one of them, eliminating it instantly. He forced his sword away and jumped back, towards his sister before the others could touch him. Tugging her onto her feet, he begged, "Make a break for it!"

"A-And leave you here?!" She exclaimed incredulously. He continued to force her forward, "There's nothing you can do here! Get Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford!"

"There's no time—!"

"For me!" With a battle cry, he lifted her and hurled her outside the ring of monsters. She shrieked, but only to land safely in a heap of snow. Mabel picked herself up and shook the snow out of her hair. However, once her eyes focused onto the fray, she couldn't move away from her position. Dipper was exerting his skills to the best of his ability as the monsters charged him altogether.

What would happen if she were to leave right at this moment? What if she came back and all that was left was blood and… and a dead body?

Dipper moved as fast as he could with the amount of energy he had left. The mission from earlier and seeking Mabel through the snow forest made him use up much of his soul essence. He darted left, right, back, and forward, evading attacks. Sparing a single split second, he summoned his sword and blocked a collection of blows. He exhaled heavily, before springing upwards and killing another creature.

His hair snapped against his face and his limbs maneuvered on pure instinct. The sword in his hand had his mind now. It was his ticket to survival, to freedom, to safety, to _home._

Sliding underneath, he back flipped and ricochet against one of the creature's back. His sword stabbed through another cold body, pulling his own behind his weapon. Black blood showered the blank canvas of nature. It was as if they were just creating Rorschach tests for some giant's demented mind. Ebony painted his cheeks, his clothing, his sword.

 _Remember_.

Before he could stop to think, a limb struck him in the abdomen, sending him plummeting to the ground. The snow only slowed his recovery as another monster stomped down upon where he lied.

"Dipper! _NO!_ "

 _Remember._

 _The distorted figures of ink rampaging through the small city. Both ruby and sable blood decorated the destruction. Screams of children, teenagers, adults alike reverberated ghastly._

 _A single voice. "Where… are they…?!"_

 _ **Re**_ _m_ _ **e**_ _m_ _ **be**_ _r._

The monster exploded into murky liquid as Dipper ripped through the body. He targeted another one right next to it and aimed straight for its chest.

" _You will_ _ **never**_ _have them!"_

Something powerful wrapped around him, catching his arms against his body. There was no time for him to comprehend as a scream began to tear at his throat. His whole existence was cracking into fragments. Limitless agony took over his senses.

And then, he was fine. His body was whole, his bones were intact, maybe a few bruises to pop up here and there, and definitely some more soreness to appear next morning. All in all, he was alive. The grassy ground was very soft and soothing against his skin.

Wait.

Grass?

Dipper forced himself up to rest on his knees. But he didn't get very far afterwards, for the sight that awaited him encased him in invisible cement.

A circle of brilliant, viridescent flora below, and a vast cerulean oasis encircled by ashy clouds above. Just beyond the springesque area, there was the same, mundane snow that washed out the sky and blanketed the earth. How had this occurred?

"Mab…el…" Dipper gulped down his already feeble voice. Nonetheless, she didn't bother looking at him, nor did it seem like she heard him at all. Her back was the center of his vision as her hair was hovering wildly. There were narrow fissures in the ground, and as he used his eyes to trail back to the source, he discovered that it was where she had been standing only a few moments ago.

He locked his gaze onto her back once more. Her body was fully engulfed with a pastel yellow light that bordered a blinding white. The glow was very exquisite, yet the aura she emitted was not even remotely close to the zone of delicacy. The air was extremely _hot_ , but somehow, still very tranquil. He hadn't felt this warm inside and out since summertime.

Suddenly, she slowly raised her hand. It was then and there that Dipper realized that _all_ of the manifold of evil creatures were being trapped by the similar light that veiled his sister. Their position was the same way he had just been, floating off the ground and being crushed by the sides. Nevertheless, there was no hope for them, unlike his prior situation. Although, he hadn't even known that—out of all people—Mabel would be his savior.

Albeit, how was she even able to pull this off? What _was_ this?

She closed her fist.

There was a sole moment of cacophony. Ghastly distorted and screeching sounds echoed throughout the forest as the creatures disappeared immediately in a blaze of ivory, purgatory flames. What was left in their wake was a rain shower of pitch-black droplets. She didn't turn around.

"How did… you do that…?" Dipper was in absolute disbelief. That was unbelievable! It was incredible! She was—

—falling.

He yelped and caught her before she could hit the ground. Mabel was unconscious, breathing in and out in a rhythmic fashion. Her expression was unperturbed, apart from his own. Dipper's face was twisted in bafflement as he resumed to intense brainstorming. It all happened so abruptly and apace that he had no time to even confirm that it really happened. That _Mabel_ just took out about _thirty_ of those monsters all together.

It was ironic. Having such a power like that would nearly make _her_ seem like the real monster. But he didn't see her in that way, not then and not now. She was just Mabel Pines, his sister that loved glitter and being weird.

He didn't want to believe that Bill was actually telling the truth about Mabel. He didn't want to believe that his parents really died for mostly the sake of her powers. But, isn't that how he got in this situation in the first place?

He had believed, anyway.

His feelings over his definite belief were still muddled, however. Even if he was absolutely oblivious to what her powers may be, at least he had a better lead now when he continues his search for information.

Despite the fact that the sun was now shining down on his sister and himself, reminding him that they were both still very much alive, he detested it. These circumstances didn't match his current state of mind. He didn't feel the slightest bit enlightened, so the wide ray of sunlight was just mocking.

Dipper kept a secure grip on his sister as he knelt there, surrounded and blotched by black specks. They basked in the temporary sunlight that was sure to vanish soon since the swirling clouds above were just about to invade the oasis. The sky would darken again, the greenery would be hidden away, and the freezing wind would be sweeping through the area.

He waited for it to come because he _knew_ that it would happen.

And that's how their great uncles found them.

* * *

"— _before the storm."_

* * *

 **You don't hate me, right? :3**

 **THAT'S ALL I'M SAYING FOR THE RECAP; I'M SORRY.**

 **I was so excited to post this chapter; you have no idea.**

 **By the way, (no one prompted me, I just felt like including this), there are some things I wish to rewrite from earlier chapters. I had done short chapters, I was barely getting started, and I was pretty unoriginal. I think once the story's over, I may rewrite the first twelve or so. But the reason I haven't done so yet is because, well, firstly, it takes up more time, and secondly, they mark the beginning of my writing. I can really see how much I've grown and developed my style, and I'm a sucker for old memories.**

 **Anyway, for Dipifica:**

 **I'll keep being honest with you all. I have been visualizing the way I'll be writing when Dipper and Pacifica become a couple in my head since I first thought of the plot for this fanfic.**

 **(Drawn a lot of their moments, too. I actually wrote one of the major, future Dipifica moments because I was testing how I'd write it and I just wanted to preview it but then deleted it since I was getting ahead of myself.)**

 **I'm truly apologetic if you are just dying to see them become official, or maybe you're just curious. Anyway, point is, please wait for me. As I said, this story may take quite a while to finish.**

 **But just to give you guys some relief: no, they don't become canon right at the end of the story. It'll be somewhere in the middle.**

 **And that concludes it. If you're dying at the moment, it was my intention!**

 **Until next time!**


	38. Chapter 38

**Happy late Halloween!**

 ***crickets***

 **It's now been an entire year since I started this fanfic. Aah, I remember when I updated like everyday for the first week. Unfortunately, I can rarely update that efficiently anymore. :c**

 **I tend to post an update on my tumblr on the next chapter or anything I'd like to report about my process on the story.**

 **To anyone wondering: I answer reviews in the order they are posted.**

 **lunathemoongoddess217: Go find ur Bill c; ANYWAY, thank you! I hope you enjoy this newest of chapters!**

 **Guest: *EXTREME MANIACAL LAUGHING***

 **Guest: Thank you soooo much!**

 **Fanficlover175: of course! And I'm glad to have inspired you!**

 **NickStriker: Ask and you shall receive, is what they say?**

 **Tammy Flayks(Guest): Shall we see what he does next?**

 **iBombinate: OOOOOOH, Dipper, Dipper, Dipper…**

 **ChibiTabatha: I have something like a skeleton/outline thing. On multiple formats. *cheeky grin***

 **aerizel: WEEEEELLLLLLLLL, I'm not sure how to answer the questions in the main part of ur review (cackles) but one, I don't know why kids are mean to other kids, man, and two, UNFORTUNATELY, she isn't :c I just wanted to give Mabel some intense heroism. Also, I no longer have a tumblr, but I do have a deviantart as given last chapter.**

 **anonymous(Guest): aren't we all?**

 **Paul Starhaven: But… wait… you get both ships and a story! What a deal!**

 **maranoismylife: HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!**

 **Andy1997: poor, poor, poor, poor,** _ **poor**_ **Dipper…**

 **KittyCat151: WHAT'LL HAPPEN NOW?**

 **ItaShootingStar: Thank… YOU!**

 **mylittlechainsaws123: IKR I'M EXCITED FOR THE UPCOMING STUFF TOOOOO!**

 **Done reading replies? On with the story!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

"How _peculiar_."

Adrian rhythmically tapped his foot against the dark floor. The eye-bat continued on, "Yes, I came here as fast as I could to report that the test had been a success, but were instantly wiped out! We aren't sure why, my lord."

Pyronica groaned to no one in particular, "Are you serious?"

"Yes!"

" _That was a_ _**rhetorical question!**_ _"_ Pyronica snapped her whip to break the eye-bat in half, but Adrian prevented her from doing so. He calmly instructed, "That's all. Leave."

The eye-bat hastily fled from his funeral. The pink demon pouted, "Damn!"

Adrian drummed his fingers together, before sighing, "This is quite terrible. Seems like Earth has a few tricks of their own."

He stood up from his seat and rounded the long table. Exiting the room, Pyronica followed after him in gleeful silence. They strode through a series of dark halls until arriving at a certain room. Upon entering, he wasted no time passing by a collection of large test tubes containing floating organisms. For what he sought was inorganic, only powerful and concentrated. Yet, it was only an experiment to be tested. It would be a fine time to test it now.

His fingers grazed Pyronica's rosy skin, causing her to shudder in delight. His smile was daunting. "I request a favor."

"Anything, my lord!" She promised. His hands smoothly reached into a holographic cube, then pulled out a floating sphere of pure, black energy. His voice drifted within the eerie lab, "Of course, _he_ is immortal as well, but this will make him into his very own time bomb. All you need to do is implant this little thing right into him."

He asked sweetly, "You can destroy Bill for me, right, my dear?"

* * *

Just a day and a few hours before, Bill was elsewhere.

In many other places.

He began in the Nightmare Realm. It's dreary, bleak atmosphere sent shivers down his spine. Ironically, the view was quite refreshing. He had noticeably been sticking around Earthlings more than the monsters and demons. Surely, they'd be thirsting for his blood or any blood more than ever. His point was proven as a disgusting corpse was abandoned, strewn across the dense, bare dirt.

In the distance, he heard a rally.

" _Power! Domination! Blood! It will all be ours!"_

" _All hail!"_

" _Down they will go!"_

" _The future is sealed in darkness!"_

Their words sent alarms in his head. Avoiding trouble, for it would certainly set him back, he slipped past a myriad of ugly creatures to reach his destination.

A dilapidated, rustic building composed of crumbling concrete and foregone memories rested in the center of a ghost town. Bill cautiously pushed the massive double doors, allowing entrance. The inside was darker than the night, and that spoke a lot, seeing it was always night time in this realm. He shut the doors behind him, and lit his hand aflame. Dust danced in the air and crowded any surface it landed on. Cobwebs veiled the primeval volumes and anthologies.

Floating off of the fragmentary ground, Bill investigated the internal design as he flew around slowly. His eye rapidly read the signs of each section once his light was able to reach it. It took him more time than he anticipated, but he eventually ended up in his desired location. The dream-demon drew closer to the shelf and scanned the titles. Once he found his book, he used his free hand to take it out.

A gruesome screech stopped him dead in his tracks. Casting his attention elsewhere, he almost missed the grotesque creature soaring towards him. Bill reacted in a blink of an eye, yanking the book from its place and darting to the side. The repugnant, disfigured beast rammed into the shelf, sinking its claws into the material. The force nearly knocked the entire structure to the ground. Rotating its head, Bill was met eye-to-eye with a hideous, misshapen face.

He dove to the side and nearly slid into a large crack as the avian-like monster swooped towards him again. There was barely any time for him to recover. The monster repeatedly snapped its sturdy, sharp beak at his fallen form, hoping to catch a limb in its mouth. Bill growled and took a chance to shoot a fireball right in the middle of its breast. The flames wormed around its feathers and flesh, and it howled in dismay. Finally having a moment to concentrate, he teleported outside of the realm.

Bill materialized right into an unknown alleyway in an urban, highly industrialized area. People were passing by the narrow path, but to his convenience, he was hidden by a dumpster. He ignored the claw marks on his clothes and the blood now lightly trickling down his skin. Opening the book, he skimmed for the information needed in his quest.

A shocked yelp sounded from his lips as the book burst into black flames, taking all of its contents with it. He tossed it to the floor, where it burned into nothing but ash. Bill heaved a frustrated sigh and punched the brick wall beside him. He had just wasted time with attempting to obtain books he couldn't even use.

Seeing that any literature in the Nightmare Realm was worthless, Bill resorted to Earth records that were _actually_ attainable.

He was nearing the final part of his journey. After visiting various, rich libraries across the northern part of the country, there was just one more to check out. He laid back against the stiff cushion of the bus seat. He genuinely relished this moment of relaxation, since he felt like taking another step right now would send him into a coma. The people that sat nearby glanced once or twice, noting his odd, yet fancy fashion. A sleek, black trench coat covered the fluffy sweater underneath. He kept his eye on the passing scenery, before the vehicle slowed to a stop.

Exiting the bus, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked apace. From below the rim of his hat, his eye peered at any curious gazes sent his way. His very demeanor was hostile and baleful. Bill was not someone to be messed with, and he didn't exactly feel like messing around with these unfamiliar faces either, at the moment. He was bent on his own mission, and he couldn't waste more time being distracted. The sooner he was done, the sooner he could return to Gravity Falls.

"Enjoy your visit at the Library of Congress!" The friendly woman waved at businessmen and family members. Bill passed by them all without a single thought. Another distant source of jumbled noises made him grimace.

 _A school field trip?_ He scoffed inwardly. Much to his vexation, clusters of kids around his "age" stood by, waiting for directions and an adult. A few boys looked at him with envy, whereas the teachers had expressions of slight concern and suspicion. Some of the young females had spotted him, immediately sending them into a fit of giggling and idolizing.

Shaking his head, he marched forth, clacking his shoes against the polished marble, and searched for the section he needed. After a certain amount of time, he reached his target. Only a couple of people were occupying the area, but he didn't bother chasing them off and making a scene. Sweeping across the titles of the books, his eye halted on a rather thicker tome. He pulled it from its tight position and nearly dropped it from its weight. Grunting, he yielded and sat on the floor, book in lap.

Flipping the pages, his finger glided over the thin paper and tiny text.

 _[History of the World]_

 _Section 42, Soul Fighters_

 _ **The Origins of Soul Fighters**_

 _Soul Fighting is undeniably a fundamental asset to our growing population. It is a much heated controversy among historians since there is no solid evidence to prove even the most famous of theories for these powers. Yet, as it was aforementioned, the world may not have intended to have had humans and mythical creatures coexisting, inferred by the fact that nature had not been suited for such creatures centuries ago. This may have led to the development of our soul powers by the exposure of magical properties. However, it is unclear how long humans have possessed these powers, for many ancient scriptures and works were lost or destroyed._

 _In another perspective, it could simply be the universe's way of balancing out the "darkness" from the Nightmare Realm. The demons and monsters that invade our world could easily overpower the inhabitants of Earth, if not for our gifts. Much more could be answered, but the Nightmare Realm has yet to be explored. Technology is still lacking the development needed for such a risky operation. There has been no dated expeditions or photographic records of the other plane. Popular belief speaks of an immortal overlord with unknown intentions. Legend says that there had been previous rulers before._

 _The powers within our race vary with each individual. Although, it is also typical for many to keep theirs untouched. It is debatable as to how the soul knows what a "weapon" is in our terms, for it could be anything if given the ability to deal enough harm. These properties still befuddle the scientific community, for it simply evades science. There has been oral testimonies of an ancient original source that then distributed among the human race, stated by those who had actually contacted or associated themselves with demons in order to gain power or knowledge over common foes. This "first weapon" to exist is still unknown as of today._

 _They claim that even the oldest of demons cannot provide their "customers" with legitimate, extensively strong soul powers. It was hypothesized that it was because soul powers are, by nature, not for demons to manage and synthesize. There has also been multiple claims that the demons lack a one, true answer to the questions of the powers' existence or the timeline from the beginning to our modern world, declaring that they simply have no memory of it. This has fueled the fire in the historians and scientists dispute._

Bill prevented himself from reading any further. A slight headache had creeped onto him, and his eye started to hurt from having to focus on such minute print. Sighing, he stretched his back and rolled his neck. His motion came to a standstill when his sight had met the ceiling. His breath caught in his throat, on the account of the sudden realization that his surroundings were nowhere near similar to the old library he entered.

The floor was a scarlet, clean carpet, and the grand shelf beside him was made from sturdy wood. The ceiling was no skillfully carved dome with intricate designs, but a rounded skylight providing view of a glorious, cloudless sea of blue. He managed to utter in disbelief, "What the hell?"

"Boring!" A familiar voice griped from behind him. A much older voice replied, "What did you say?"

"Dull! Tedious! Insipid! Humdrum!"

Bill slowly turned around and saw two other people. However, he couldn't identify the faces. His vision seemed to be blurred from a bright light. He could only make out the figures of a young boy and older man encircled by books at a table. They didn't appear to have noticed him, sitting on the floor, watching in perplexed silence.

"Now, don't say that—" The older man begun, but the boy only cut him off, "Why not? This is boring, no matter how much I need to know it! Diplomatic procedures aren't so significant when you're the most powerful kingdom in the realm!"

Bill heard a sigh. "There isn't just power, son. There's responsibilities; there's decisions. You need to know how to take on both."

"I very well think I do. You complicate them so needlessly. They can be solved with just the simplest of tricks and whitest of lies."

"Schemes will _not_ get you far."

"Say that to our new trading deal!" The younger voice boasted, "That old schmuck was cornered like a king by pawns, thinking they were queens! I assure you, there was no doubt in the favorable outcome."

"Not everyone behaves as he does. In the future, you'll encounter decisions that will affect yourself and the things you must protect."

"Coronation is far away, father." The boy leaned back in his seat, "You know what isn't? Delicious and fresh chips in the kitchen."

"You know you can't eat those during study, and I already made sure that the maids aren't persuaded into giving you any."

"Hasn't stopped me before."

He heard another heavy sigh. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Just believe me, father, that when the time _does_ come, these lands will be in _great_ hands!"

"If I were to be called a fool for believing you…" The older man trailed off, eliciting a frown from the boy. Yet, the man smiled fondly, "Then I'd proudly wear the label."

Bill lurched forward and gasped, a bead of sweat trailing down his pale skin. His eye frantically analyzed his surroundings, only to come to the conclusion that his vision was crystal clear, and that he was back at the Library of Congress. There was actually a few more faces, with pink tints and long eyelashes, staring with obvious doting from afar. He held his head in his hand and sputtered to himself, "What the—what just happened?"

Shoving the book back in its place, he hurried to the exit, forcefully nudging past anyone who was unfortunate enough to be in his path. Ignoring the sounds of indignation and calls for his attention, Bill finally stepped outside the building. The frigid wind immediately blew across his skin, but he didn't hesitate to wait for to next bus to appear. Climbing aboard, he squeezed into his seat, denting the cushion. Then, the vehicle came to life and began moving once more.

Bill made an effort to use deep breaths, wanting to calm his startled mind. His bewilderment was just not fitting for his usual character. Oh, how awful it would have been if people he _knew_ saw his moment of defenselessness and fear. What happened inside the library, however, was completely out of his range of knowledge, no matter how ample. How else would anyone react to that? His recently frequent dreams, he could tolerate, but such a realistic hallucination had never occurred to him before. He's never had any of these things happen to him before!

Not until he met Mabel… that is. She mercilessly tore him apart and built him anew. And he couldn't even bring it in himself to be infuriated.

He closed his eye and begun to ponder. Yes, she was the entire reason for leaving Gravity Falls. He was traveling around the country, trying to find any information he may have missed to help his thoughts. He needed to keep up with the details of this situation if he was going to… _look after_ her. Based on her and her family, it seemed that they were oblivious to their own fate. He took it upon himself to resign as a form of— _How pathetic,_ he thought—help.

It was useless to deny his association with her any longer. While she stated many times before how she was his friend, he didn't exactly know his feelings towards her. He only came to accept that he did _care_ about her. There was enough consideration to the point where he would actually _mind_ if she was laying in a pool of her own blood. Albeit, he does very much deny any sort of intense grief and fury imagining her in such a way.

The bus stopped at its farthest point where it was nearest to the border of the state. Bill stepped off and headed in the direction of Gravity Falls. All he need to do was another series of quick teleporting, rapid flying, and bus rides. Of course, he'd be drained of almost all energy by the time he returned, but nothing another little while of rest couldn't do. He decided he had done enough roving for the day; he was ready to go back home.

Freezing midway in his pace for a fleeting second, he shuddered—

 _Eugh, home?_

* * *

Pacifica knew there was something wrong from the moment she re-entered the academy to finish up some paperwork. It definitely wasn't in her stomach, meaning the food she ate wasn't poisoned. No, it was on her back, and on her scar, to be specific. It was as if there was a gradually budding sensation in the atmosphere. After a while, it became heavy and foreboding, bringing a slight frown upon her face. Thankfully, it didn't seem to be in her town, but really just far out in the forest. Abruptly, she tensed up. What if she was detecting another source of dark power?

It was so overwhelming, now.

The school day was over, and it had already been more than a few hours since she had finished eating out with Mabel. Dipper had yet to return from his mission and report back to her, and it seemed unlikely that he'd just exit without leaving any sort of note behind. She was reluctant to leave before he arrived so that she could receive an instant report.

Her mind was soon to change. There was a sharp spike that made her grit her teeth in discomfort. Right after, the feeling was practically drowning her sensing ability, or pressing against it with a comforter. There must be an enormous amount of dark power where she was pinpointing. With haste, Pacifica found herself inside the strategists' room. It was vacant, but the only thing she paid mind to was the splash of red on the map across the room.

Soon, she was quietly leaping across the trees in search of the source. Her mind was psyching her up for what she may encounter. Perhaps a higher level demon had appeared, or it might even be the pink one she met many nights ago.

Once she made it to the location of the source, there was nothing organic to present itself. There was, however, puddles and stains of black blood scattered across the area. Even the snow was thinner than the rest. Looking farther, she saw multiple footprints leading to a place she was quite familiar with.

The Mystery Shack.

Casting her gaze upward, there was Dipper in the flesh. He was sitting at the edge of a small platform, curled up in a ball with his head in his knees. She blinked once, just to make sure that it really was her colleague. Springing up, her feet gracefully landed behind him. He didn't react in the slightest.

The silence was denser than she had imagined. Pacifica wanted to say _something_ to break the ice. Should she start off with work? _How was the mission? Why didn't you report back to me?_

No. Perhaps something more cordial? _Wanna talk about it? What's wrong?_

Too… assertive, and not in her way. Maybe she did need to use her own direct tone.

"Dipper, what happened?" She approached him warily, before kneeling behind him. He barely twitched. The headmistress sighed discretely, irked that her voice couldn't stir him. She tried again. "Dipper, tell me."

She swallowed. "Please. I need to know."

He only shifted his head to eye her in a dubious manner. To her surprise, his eye wasn't bloodshot, but obviously filled with distress and fatigue. After a second, he hung his legs over the edge and turned away from her. His voice was raw, "Why?"

Well, she certainly wasn't expecting that. Why did she want to know? This may not be any of her business. But, then again...

"There was a spike of dark energy earlier. Do you know what happened?"

More strained silence. He replied slowly, "Yes, I was there."

"Can you _tell_ me what happened?" She emphasized, trying to conceal her growing agitation. Dipper was acting so lifeless and difficult, and it really bothered her into thinking that this predicament was more than she had initially thought. He leaned over, using his elbows to keep himself up. "I can. It's one heck of a story, though."

Pacifica swung her legs over the edge as she plopped next to him. "I think I can take it."

"Good. You'll have to."

Dipper gulped while the whole incident replayed in his head. He inhaled deeply, before beginning, "I went to go confront my great uncles about some thoughts that Bill had set it in my head. They were… about my parents."

She was taken aback, suddenly realizing that she never questioned where Dipper's parents were and why he was living in Gravity Falls without them. Luckily, he didn't seem too unwilling to explain.

"I don't know if you already know, but I came from a small city called Piedmont in California. It was peaceful, and there were enough Soul Fighters to defend us from the occasional monster. Then, out of nowhere, my town was attacked and destroyed, and my parents died, too," He reminisced. Pacifica recollected on having read an article or two about the onslaught. An entire civilization decimated so severely would only happen a handful of times in just a century. It was a popular discussion for a short period of time. Dipper added, "Mabel and I were all that was left."

She scrutinized him, even if it was just the side of his face. Although, her cerulean eyes were astonished and sympathetic. He didn't dare look at her as he continued, "I… I remember a time when I was younger where Mabel told me she heard our parents talking about something to do with us. A-And then, what Bill said about her… losing _control_ over her _…_ her _powers?_ I was surprised of how quick I was able to believe it."

He inquired her, yet still faced outwards, "What happened to Mabel when Leaderaur knocked me out?"

Pacifica hadn't been anticipating the question, and swiftly regained her voice. "She seemed like she was ready to, uh, snap?"

He paused.

"Well, just before you came, back in the forest, there were a _lot_ of monsters, a-and they were _all_ in one spot. Mabel was caught in the middle of them. I... I tried to fight them all off, but I couldn't. I was about to be crushed to death." He said it so plainly, she could've mistaken him for describing the weather. He resumed, "And then, I was saved."

His previous story had connected instantly with this one. Her eyes widened, "Mabel, she—"

"Yep," He interrupted and faced her, "she snapped."

Pacifica felt her breath hitch at this discovery. "W-What? How?"

"I'm still waiting for that explanation, trust me." Dipper clarified, "But I've never seen or heard anything like it. She had no weapon, Pacifica. It was just pure energy that she could use with the wave of her hand."

He gestured to stress his point, "All my training got me up to this point, but imagine how amazing she'll be once she'll be able to control something like _that_."

He chuckled without mirth. "I knew the world tended to be unfair when it came to me. I never expected it to come in the form of my own _sister_."

Pacifica was befuddled at this stage. She tilted her head and leaned forward, "What are you talking about? How can you talk like that?"

"Just stating facts, Pacifica," He turned his gaze down at the wooden planks, "Don't think too much into it."

"Um, no?" She poked his forehead, prompting him to look back up with irritation. The headmistress met his stare with equal ferocity. "Dipper, remember that that's your _sister_ , not some competitor or product of misfortune."

"I don't mean it like _that,_ I really don't." He scowled, "But you won't understand me, no matter how I try to explain it."

"Why not?"

"Why would you?" He seethed. She recoiled slightly from the aggravation he emitted.

"You were practically born for greatness; it's all laid out in front of you to take. But when it comes to me? Ha." He took his hat off and combed his hair with his fingers. "I should've known that you were right. Of course you were right. There was a reason why I had to work so hard to achieve this, as you said. I wasn't _born_ for this—"

Even after all this time, he still held on to her words from before. Was she a significant reason for his self-doubt? If she hadn't said anything like that when they first met, would he have thought of this situation differently?

She may be proud of the accomplishments she's achieved, but the crimes of her family were fixed in her chest. The "greatness" she had birthright to was nothing more than hustled money. Her family name was stained with tears and blood of hopeless victims. She carved her own path to Soul Fighting, despite all the discouragement from her family and nosey snobs.

Pacifica realized, in a way, that Dipper was just like her. With the exception that he had to go through _much_ more.

" _Shut up._ " She grounded out. He opened his mouth and prepared to keep talking. She didn't let him, "I have never been so wrong before, Dipper."

"I—" For the first time since he started speaking, he showed genuine emotion: confusion. "Wha—?"

"Back then, I meant what I said. I knew you'd just waste your time and give up. I knew you didn't know what you were getting into." She shifted uncomfortably, "But, I was... blind and small-minded."

Pacifica's azure eyes bore into his own chocolate ones. "You proved to me that you could get back up and push through the insults and the setbacks, and that you could fight and think just as efficiently. In such a small time, too. Do you even realize what you're working as?"

He blinked owlishly. "Pacifica—"

"I said _shut up_ , Dipper," She prodded his chest, "You got to speak. Now, it's my turn. How do you think Mabel will feel, knowing that she had been normal up to this point, then suddenly, she can kill multiple monsters just like that? You're gonna have to be there to support her, and you can't do that with passive resentment, even if it's unintentional."

She breathed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You better listen to me, Dipper Pines, because it seemed like you forgot. What you have with your family is special; cherish it."

Her voice seemed regretful as she thought back on her prior attitude towards him. "The abilities you have aren't limited. _You_ have the power to make yourself stronger. And for the past year and few months that I've known you, you've… inspired me, somewhat. So, it's just _annoying_ to hear yourself _talk_ like that when you aren't like that at _all!_ "

She huffed, coming to an end. There was a few, lengthy seconds of silence where Dipper stared at her. She abruptly felt insensitive for being so blunt in a delicate situation. Had she gone too far? Especially when he opened up his past and his feelings like that to her?

Before she could respond, she discovered his arms were tightly wrapped around her in a much needed embrace. His forehead pressed against her shoulder, causing his silky strands of hair to tickle her chin. She was unable to move from her spot. It was only after a couple moments of startled, internal screaming that she found her voice.

"D-Don't hug—!"

"Please," He croaked out, "I'm just trying to show gratitude."

"A simple 'thank you' would have been good." Although her words were sharp, she made no action to pull away. Dipper silently enjoyed the aroma of expensive champagne and lavender flowers. He mumbled a confession into the crook of her neck, prompting her to stifle a shudder. "I just needed a hug."

The thought of him desperately searching for someone to hug, particularly if it was another _girl_ , was very discomforting. Her hand steadily found its way atop his head. His hair was soft to the touch, and she resisted the urge to caress him. A flaming blush was heating up her face at their intimacy. The things this boy did to her…

He had his own blush hidden from view, albeit not as large, but his mind was too disturbed to even think about it. Pacifica had just shown to be the perfect person to help him cope at the moment. Her words really struck through his pessimistic thoughts, internal words he was now wondering why he even had in the first place. She let him begin thinking again. She showed him the better things that he failed to remember. She truly admired him to some degree, despite her tongue the first time they met. And even then, she rued it.

Lifting his head away from her, he wiped away unshed tears. "Thanks."

Pacifica's hand grazed his cheek as it slid to his shoulder once more. She managed to smile a little, whether it was out of gratitude or pity, he didn't know. Before any more words could be exchanged, Grunkle Ford had popped his head over the top of the roof. His face showed absolute puzzlement as his eyes locked with the two adolescents. He open and shut his mouth in attempt to form words, with Dipper copying him. Pacifica rolled her eyes.

"I heard of the situation," She stood up and patted herself down, making sure her lingering blush was hidden from view, "Where is Mabel?"

"I—Ah, yes. I came out to fetch Dipper." He paused. "You can come, too."

She nodded. Dipper rose to his feet and followed after his great uncle, letting Pacifica trail after him. Ford whispered to his grandnephew once they slid into the narrow opening, "So, are we to be expecting any _relationship_ status updates soon?"

Dipper flushed and shoved the older man, "No!"

Pacifica couldn't prevent her eyes from roaming the inside of their home. It wasn't considerably moldy or unstable because of its recent reconstruction after the Gideon incident. The ambience was cozy and warm, truly fit for a cabin in the woods. Some tacky portraits and odd devices hung on the wall. Dipper saw her inspection from the corner of his eye. "Come on, officer, the scene is over here."

She glared at him and his mocking tone. Ford opened the way to the younger twins' rooms, where Stan was sitting down on the floor beside Mabel's bed. He seemed stunned to see Pacifica, but it quickly faded as soon as it came. Waddles paid them no mind as he napped soundly at the feet of his beloved owner. Ford went to stand at the end of the bed while the two others walked next to Stan. Dipper's eyes had once again glossed over, lips visibly pressed. Pacifica was only studying the girl laying in the bed.

From the perspective of any uninformed person, it would seem as if they were just gathering around a "sleeping beauty." However, close up, her breathing was slightly labored. There was the smallest of crinkles in between her eyebrows. There was a blanket carefully placed over her motionless form. Her chocolate locks spread across the bed, and the tips dangled over the edge.

Ford said, "I used the resources I had to check her condition. She seems to be swirling with soul energy. Her body is attempting to stabilize it. Once she wakes up, however long that may take, she will be exhausted."

"Do you know… anything?" Pacifica asked meekly. She felt a tinge of shame for even being there in the first place, for this appeared to be a personal problem more than anything. Nevertheless, from what Dipper described, something greater may arise due to this revelation. She would be involved one way or the other. "Anything at all?"

Stan's gruff voice answered, "As I said to this kid over here, we don't know the least of it."

" _I_ do."

All of the conscious inhabitants of the room whirled their attention to the new voice.

Bill didn't look any more jolly than they did. Dipper noted that his expression and voice held the same woe from earlier. He was leaning against the wall closest to the door. Stan frowned, but he stayed on the floor, "What're you doing here, Cipher?"

Bill was no longer wearing a coat, nor his sweater, and had presented himself in his regular clothes. He shrugged, "I was in the area. I thought I'd drop by to say hello and maybe discuss some future get-togethers."

He snarled, "What _else_ would I be here for?!"

"Just get on with it!" Stan barked. Bill sent him a glower, "Guessing from the fact Shooting Star is spiritually unbalanced and all of you look like lost puppies, she finally tapped into her power."

"You know?" Dipper's eyes lit up to life, "How long have you known?!"

"I had a hunch way back when," Bill replied briskly.

"Picked up on a little researching, recorded some observations here and there. Voila! Mabel's powers are…!" He drum rolled harshly on the wood before throwing his hands wide, "the first Soul Fighter weapon to have _ever_ existed! All the way from who knows and who cares how long ago!"

Ford snapped, "Is this some kind of joke to you?!"

"Are pineapples square?!" Bill didn't wait for a response, "No, they aren't!"

"Mabel? Having _that_ kind of power? Why?" Ford began to interrogate him, seeing that Bill was being brutally honest, "Was she born with it? Had something happened without us knowing?"

"Oh, pfft, no. She's always had it." He waved them off like a teacher correcting a student. "Her soul has just been keeping it dormant. You see the way it affects her afterwards. But it seems that extreme emotions triggers it."

He nodded towards her unconscious state. "Since this is the first time she's _actually_ used her powers, her body is having difficulty dealing with it. Her parents must have attempted to keep her in a calm environment. Although, during the attack on your city, you probably didn't realize that her soul was warding off any monsters from attacking you as you ran for your _precious_ little lives."

"H-How do you know that?" Dipper shot out instantly. Bill shrugged again, "Just part of a deal with your sister."

"...This is," Dipper choked, "insane! All of it!"

"I think it's pretty simple to understand." Bill put a hand to his chin and feigned reflection. Dipper shook his head profusely, "Why are you so calm?! Do you know the implications of her having such _powerful_ capability? It must be for a reason!"

"Because fretting like a headless chicken is _so_ much better." Bill clicked his tongue in disappointment. Dipper clenched his fist, "This isn't just for us to know! What will you tell Mabel when she wakes up?"

" _Exactly_ what I told you!"

"You said it yourself: her emotions control her powers! What if she freaks out!?"

"So, there's some collateral damage!" Bill made another infuriating shrug, "All in good fun."

" _Fun?_ " Dipper spat so venomously, Pacifica was worried that he'd melt the floor. She hurriedly intervened, "That's enough! You know he's just trying to get a rise out of you!"

Dipper whipped his head away before he did something he would regret. She briefly admired his self-control, before placing a hand on her hip while addressing the dream-demon, "We _greatly_ appreciate the info, but why did you tell us?"

There was a glint of an indistinguishable emotion in his eye, before he snorted, "Don't want Shooting Star in the hands of incapable and oblivious people."

Her eyes only twinkled. "Huh. So you do care!"

"You can _shut_ your mouth, _Llama_."

" _What_ was that, _Cipher_?" Suddenly, the tension between the two blondes was thicker than any of the previous banter. Stan finally stood up and cracked his back, growling, "Alright, alright, take it outside! If there's nothing else for us to do here, the least we can do is take up her oxygen!"

"Ha! I'll stay here if I—"

A yellow blur rapidly tumbled down the stairs, until it collided with the wall. Not looking the slightest fazed, Bill shouted from the bottom of the stairs and felt his fists light up in flames, "You wanna go, Fez?!"

Stan pointed towards the kitchen with veins pulsing, "I'm tired of your shit, Cipher! Just sit down over there and drink tea!"

"Fuck your tea!"

Against his will, Bill was dragged to the table and roughly thrown into the wooden chair. He would have plunged to the ground, chair and all, if not for the dream-demon's rapid reflexes. Then, there was steaming hot tea in a knock-off China cup sitting in front of his face. The blonde looked up at the old man and deadpanned, "Are you kidding me?"

"Whatever makes you more tolerable." He stiffly motioned to the herbal beverage. "Come on, it's chamomile."

"I'm not putting this leaf water inside my body."

"You wanna know another way it can go inside!?"

An object was hurled in Bill's face, where it dropped into his lap. He seized the offensive object and nearly blew it up from his crushing grip. But with one look, recognition crossed his face. "Dorotos?"

"You're welcome." Dipper sneered and folded his arms. Bill felt creeped out. "What is wrong with you all?"

"Shut up, Cipher." Ford exhaled in exasperation. "This is just some sort of gratitude for giving us info."

Stan lifted his coffee mug, "And since you've decided to watch over Mabel, too, might as well get comfy."

"Aha, what— _pfft_ —I wasn't—!" Bill awkwardly stared back at all of their challenging and unconvinced glares. He slumped back and begrudgingly sipped the tea while hugging the chip bag close.

While his great uncles buried Bill with disconcerting eyes, Dipper retreated back to his room. He immediately spotted Pacifica toying with the purple cloth hung around the head of his bed. A blush bloomed on his cheeks.

"I—" He couldn't find the words.

"You kept it?" She asked gently. He scratched the back of his head nervously, "Uh, yeah. I didn't—I-I'm sorry. I should've gave it back."

"That's okay." Pacifica blurted, her own face colored prettily. Tentatively, he walked over and unwrapped it from the post. The purple scarf was unblemished, but lost its fragrant smell and lovely warmth. Without thinking, Dipper grabbed both ends and swung the cloth around her neck. He coiled it around her speedily, doing his very best to avoid eye contact. He cleared his throat to evade a voice crack, "There! Now you won't freeze when you go home."

That's right. In the process of rushing out of the academy, she left her coat inside her office. The heat on her face seemed to give her plenty of warmth, however. Although, it was better to not take any chances.

"Thanks." She should be returning home. This was a good time, almost perfect. Pacifica brushed the hair from her face, "Good luck. I'll be expecting some updates."

"Of course." He followed her down the stairs. Opening the door, they both shivered briefly at the cold temperature. His hand gestured for her to exit as a small, benign smile appeared on his face. She smiled back and took a step out the doorway.

"Aw, such a gentleman!" Bill cooed, or more like shrieked, from the table. Both of the young Soul Fighters simultaneously became paralyzed. Stan slammed the table, "Damn it! You ruined the moment!"

As an eruption of bickering broke out, Pacifica felt her mouth form words. "That's my cue. Gotta go home. Bye."

"Bye." Dipper managed to get out. He shut the door as soon as she was out, then jumped right into the squabble.

* * *

Mabel trudged along an endless void, creating water-like ripples against a solid, black surface. She had seemed to be wandering for hours, now. No destination was in sight, nor in mind. Her feet were sore, and now, so were her legs.

Great.

A pained grunt escaped her lips as she clutched her chest. She scrunched her face as she desperately tried to not succumb to the vile sensation. _Something_ in there was palpitating strong enough to send quivers around the rest of her body. Her feet stumbled, nearly sending her on her knees. After a few more moments of terrible aching, it soothed into a low thrum. She rubbed the spot just below her collarbone tenderly. "Ow, ow, ow…"

This had been occurring frequently for however long she's been trekking the same darkness. Most of the time, it was only like a dove confined in the deepest part of her chest, calmly flapping its wings. But during her bouts, it would try to tear her open and flee from its prison. Oh, she was _bored_ , she was _tired_ , and she kept experiencing episodes of _excruciating_ _pain_.

Mabel squinted her eyes, seeking out any breach of light. Yet, there was none to shine its glorious rays upon her weakened form. She made a noise of outrage, "Can someone just turn on the lights?!"

The surface directly beneath her feet chipped suddenly, shining a bright illumination into her eyes. She yelped and backtracked slightly, only to see that there were now fractures running like lightning along the flat surface and extending outwards until she could barely see it moving. Cautiously, Mabel tilted forward a little, suspicious of what she may find in the crack.

Then, the black fragments broke into a million pieces, rushing by her plummeting body. Sapphire speckled with sable shards immediately filled her watery and blurry vision. She felt her mouth let out a ghastly shriek, but upon realization, she was barely in the air for less than a few seconds. Laying on her side, her eyes were greeted with the sight of a single dandelion.

A feeble groan slipped from her throat as she brushed her hair from her face. She lifted herself up to find herself in a vast and verdant area. Harlequin flowers flecked the sea of green that extended beyond the horizon. There were no trees, no animals, and no hills. Civilization was absent, and even the traces of time itself seemed nonexistent.

Nevertheless, she greatly enjoyed this location rather than the dark, freaky one. She felt… warm. The world was just so _warm._ It felt nice…

"Ow!" Mabel gasped as her chest throbbed dreadfully. Still on her knees, she doubled over and planted her forehead on the grass, eyes squeezed tight. The beautiful, vivid world seemed to have flickered briefly into the same void she had just exited. As the pain subsided, she hadn't noticed her current world steady into its aesthetic image.

Ultimately submitting to her exhaustion, she rolled over onto her back. Her breathing was heavy and so were her eyelids. She patted her sweater and snuggled into the comfortable vegetation. Despite the mild heat, there was no sun in the sky. Although it seemed there was _nothing_ else but grass within miles of her radius, a light breeze occasionally swept over the area. She was delighted enough that she could rest her feet and suffer in just one place.

Of course, the very question " _Where am I?_ " plagued her mind the entire time she was trudging in the darkness. She wasn't even sure when she had ended up in the void and began moving. She was just... apparently walking.

She should be scared out of her wits, or at the very least, in distraught. Regardless of how worn out she felt and the pain that would come, she didn't feel out of place. Mabel had never, ever been in this grassy plane or that endless void, but she didn't feel the need to panic. It wasn't _familiar_ , per se, but it was definitely not threatening.

Ignoring her never-ending uncertainty about her present setting, she wondered if Dipper was alive and safe.

Mabel recalled some type of fervor tingling her skin and consuming her mind and body. She _knew_ what was happening on the outside, but she couldn't control her own power. There was only… instinct? It was only the impulse of her body—all the way down to her _soul?_ —destroying what it deemed necessary.

Thinking about it, she felt petrified over her own abilities. Dipper had been right… and Bill had known something about it, too. Was she supposed to do something with her powers? Surely, it couldn't have been on the whim of the universe. Or maybe it was? Maybe this would be the beginning of her own, little story of a girl who fools around with magical fire… light… whip things…?

The amount of energy that she had held in her hands spoke otherwise. This power was simply too _grand_ to be used willy nilly. She could barely use it for herself, let alone understand its purpose. It was just so _much_ that it took over completely. It made her feel like some sort of rabid animal or killing machine. Was that all she would ever be? Could she one day use it to help people? At least for the people she cared about.

For now, it seemed unlikely, since the only instance of using it to its full extent sent her into a frenzy.

Then, it was over. Next, she's walking. Now, she's laying down and going through another spell of agony.

Her face contorted, until she rotated onto her side and curled into a ball. Her hands clawed at her sweater and her throat uttered a whimper. Once it was over, they fell limply to the side, and her body loosened. She couldn't… she _didn't_ have enough energy to stay awake…

As her mind fluttered in and out of repose, her wonderful world silently unraveled into a limitless void.

* * *

Bill felt his grip tighten on the China cup. Another surge of energy had caused her to visibly tense up in pain. She looked as though a nightmare was attacking her dreams. If only, so then he could actually rid her of her torment instead of sitting by uselessly. He wished that she could wake up so he could blame her for making him feel unmanly. Inhaling, he placed the tea on the floor beside him as he continued to monitor Mabel's condition.

Cold sweat broke out onto her temple. His hands twitched, but stayed low. This wasn't something he or anyone could prevent. She needed her body to adjust to the power, and the first time was going to be the worst time. After that, Ford or Stan could start training her with control. She could slowly work her way with this power until it didn't hurt to purposely use a little bit. However, since her weapon was almost an infinite amount of energy, her body would never be able to handle it all at one time. She would only be able to harvest a small amount, and save the endurance for pain for when it really matters.

"I need to sleep, too, you know."

Bill didn't bother sparing Dipper a glance. The brunette sighed and collapsed onto his bed. He tucked his chin into his folded arms and darted his eyes between the dream-demon and his sister. He almost wanted to chuckle at the absurdity.

"Are you actually going to sit there all night?" Dipper piped up again, "This is really uncomfortable for me."

Bill stayed where he was. "I don't think I ever said if I was concerned about you or your feelings, Pine Tree."

"It speaks!" The brunette exclaimed, pretending to be incredulous. He flopped onto his back. "And here, I thought the tea worked a little _too_ well."

"Just pass out already."

"How? I already told you that your presence is unnerving." Albeit his words, Dipper felt his begin muscles unknot from the soft bed. "What's there to watch, anyway? She should just be recovering with sleep, right?"

He was met with silence. "Unless… something else is supposed to happen?"

"Unlikely."

"Thought so." Dipper lazily pointed to the door, even if Bill wasn't looking. "Out."

The blonde didn't fidget in the slightest. Dipper huffed, "Oh, come on. Everyone is tired, Bill."

"So?"

"Give it a rest. There isn't anything we can do, and that includes you."

Bill glared at the bed in front of him. "Don't spit out such rude reminders."

"Oh, my gosh. Just get out of my room!"

"This is hers, too."

"I'm sure she'd agree." Dipper tapped his finger against his stomach, but no reply came. He rubbed his face in exasperation. "If I need to deal with this lovey, mushy, suffocating acts from now on, I'd _much_ rather prefer it _outside_ of my room."

"Do you need me to knock you out?"

"I'm tempted to say yes."

Abruptly, Bill rose to his feet, prompting Dipper to scramble into a sitting position with his hands outstretched. The brunette cried, "Whoa, okay, wait—"

"Shut your face, Pine Tree," Bill set one foot onto the rim of the window. He paused and turned his head towards Dipper. "You're a disappointment."

The brunette fumed, "No one asked—!"

"Keep training. You haven't reached it yet."

"Reached what?"

"Nighty night, Pine Tree. Enjoy sweet slumber."

Bill leaped out of the shack as soon as he said his farewell. Dipper readied himself for sleep, but not before grumbling, "Leaving me with questions and crap… Why does he keep doing that…?"

* * *

 **That's a wrap! How are you doing?**

 **Not a lot of action, but mostly explanations and development. Who doesn't love those two things? And lots of Dipifica.**

 **Lots of things to think about: Mabel's powers, Bill's daydream, his possible end, his parting words to Dipper, the feelings between Dipper and Pacifica...**

 **Fun fun fun!**

 **Until next time!**


	39. Chapter 39

**Kaos-hime: Why, yes I did.**

 **lunathemoongoddess217: I'm super excited for this chapter as well! I very much appreciate your predictions.**

 **Falling Willow: AaaaaaahHAH alrighty! Well, thank you anyway!**

 **aerizel: *winks, laughs, slaps knee*** _ **rip Bill.**_ **(Please don't choke again.)**

 **Paul Starhaven: I adore a story delving into the world itself. It always gives me a better connection and insight to the plot. I'm also delighted with all the questions you have! *smiles…** _ **nicely**_ *****

 **ItaShootingStar(Guest): Oh my goodness, stop (don't)! I'm getting embarrassed!**

 **AWSR(Guest): OKAY, SO WHEN I RECEIVED THAT REVIEW, I SEARCHED IT UP AND WAS THOROUGHLY AMAZED. No, that reference was not intentional xD. Omg, I was laughing so much at the coincidence.**

 **Guest 1: Of course! Your very presence encourages me, as does everyone else's!**

 **Guest: Oh, you're in for a good surprise.**

 **Guest: Same—I mean, what? But thank you!**

 **Guest: YES YES YES YES YES I WILL!**

 **cesar k-non: I shall!**

 **NickStriker: *bows gratefully***

* * *

 **Sorry I'm late again, but I just…**

 **(•_•)**

 **( •_•)⌐■-■**

 **(⌐■_■)**

 **...really like this meme.**

 _ **YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!**_

 **Me being late and liking memes are nowhere related.**

 **A L S O, HOLY MOTHER OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, DIPPER'S REAL NAME IS** _ **MASON PINES?!**_ **WHERE HAVE I BEEN. WHY IS NOBODY TALKING ABOUT THIS.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

An aged man, within a luxurious home, sitting by expensive treasuries and displays of wealth, melts onto the wooden desk. Both crisp and wrinkled documents were spread around in a seemingly random pattern. There was a sharp stream of light invading the room through rectangular windows. The occasional chirp alerted his ears, reminding him that the world never stopped and never slowed for anyone. Yet, he doesn't rise for a while.

A small creak came from the door. A woman's head peeks out.

"Preston?"

"Yes, dear?" He lifted his gaze to meet her own worried ones. She pursed her lovely lips. "You should take a break."

"I'm fine." He planted, not allowing any further argument. Priscilla's hold on the doorknob trembled.

"Will you be okay?"

"As always, dear."

There was a pause.

"Will we be okay...?"

Preston kept their eyes locked, but did not reply. She chose another question, "Will Pacifica be okay?"

He sits up at this, and leans back in the leather of his chair.

"Of course she will."

* * *

Dipper's hand absently rubbed the center of his chest in circles. He woke up, feeling as though there was a continuous, subtle tug. It didn't hurt, nor did it bother him as long as his mind was off of it. However, his mind _was_ on it, so it _was_ bothering him temporarily. Leaning against the wall, he willed his hand to droop at his side.

"She's been asleep longer than she was when Gideon knocked her out." Dipper grumbled, sipping on a glass of orange juice. Three males were filling a spot in the cramped room, yet still near the unconscious girl. They had faint rings under their eyes and dragged along clouds of uncertainty from the crowns of their heads. Bill appeared the least bedraggled. "She'll need a few more hours."

The silence dragged on longer, only to be interrupted by the meek slurping from Dipper. Bill and Stan had their stares burning holes into his own innocent gaze. However, he did not give enough _care_ in the world to give three delicious cakes and two yummy muffins about their silent judging. Dipper kept sipping—very, very slowly.

Ignoring that entire moment, Stan turned to Bill and wiggled his fingers, "Can't you just use your pixie dust and wake her up?"

The dream-demon scowled.

"No, you old coot. She needs the rest. If I wake her up now, it might—" Bill hastily bit on his tongue, preventing himself from sounding too caring. He chose his next words carefully and played it off as though he was merely thinking about it, "...disrupt something important."

As the blonde tasted for blood, Dipper eyed him warily, "And you're sure that she can't possibly over-sleep, which may cause something else?"

" _Positive._ " Bill rolled his eye. The brunette was still unconvinced. "Suppose something _does_ happen—"

Bill scrunched his nose in annoyance while Stan pressed his lips into a thin line.

"—where she… I don't know, loses control again and starts attacking us?"

"Rest in peace." Bill stated simply, albeit he was ignored.

"Or… or what if she explodes!?" Dipper palmed his forehead with his free hand.

"Oh, Pine Tree, you're one _peculiar_ boy." Bill scorned. Stan raised his finger and nodded, "I second that."

While the room fell under silence, the faint, familiar pattern of footsteps approaching the door alerted their ears. Within moments, Ford popped up in the doorway. His eyes had a dull glint of exhaustion. "Dipper, it's time to go."

The brunette nodded and left the room after sending his sister another glance. Ford walked over to the bed. He bent down and gently kissed Mabel's forehead, then pulled back with a solemn smile. He turned to Stan. "We'll try to come home as soon as we can."

They still had their jobs to attend to, after all. However, they only hoped that when they returned, the shack would still be in one piece. Ford shot a warning glare at his twin, who pointedly ignored it. Once they were outside the shack, Bill instantly turned to the other old man that was left behind. A simple, innocent smile was painted on his lips. "Well, well, well, looks like we got some time on our hands!"

It was then and there where Stanley wondered if all the bad things he had done in his life accumulated up to this moment. Stan tried, he really did. He was admittedly a humongous jerk in his younger days, holding his brother back from golden opportunities. His father saw him as a disappointment, and his mother could never stop worrying about him. All his life, he traveled around the nation as a hustler and conman.

Until the one day where his father died from cardiac arrest, and his mother was close behind with severe illness. Where he wondered where all the years had gone, and who else was there to witness. So, he decided, it was time to man up and stop running away and reconcile with the closest family he had left. Stanford, who had gathered himself up from Stanley's sabotage, still made a name for himself within the wondrous woods of Gravity Falls. It made Stan question who the real fighter against all odds was. Perhaps it was both of them in their own way.

Although, Stanley Pines hadn't spent almost two decades trying to right his wrongs to just be taken down so easily by a yellow egomaniac. He could handle whatever was coming to him. Besides, it's not like he didn't have a few, not-so nice, yet purposeful, words of his own to return.

Bill, oblivious to Stan's plan, leaned in with his creepy smile. "Don't you feel worthless being stuck in this dump while your brother outshines you?"

Here goes nothing.

"I really don't get why you still try to make some grudge between me and my brother after all these years." Stan replied smoothly. Bill shrugged innocently, "It's an honest question."

"One you've been asking for too long."

"You've never given me an answer."

"It's not worth my numbered breaths."

"A few words won't hurt," Bill enjoyed reading the muddled up thoughts in the older man's head. They were conflicted, blurry, uncertain of choices he had chosen and what his response would be. It was exhilarating for the dream-demon. His eye twinkled, "will it?"

"You really want an answer, ya wretched bimbo? _Fine_." Stan had bided his time up until this very moment. The pent up rage surged through his veins. At first, he had been wary of what exactly his words would be for this to work, but seeing the smug look on the blonde's face sent him running on improv. He declared, "Yes, I have felt useless. I've felt like a waste of time and a pathetic excuse of a son and brother. I've not only stolen jewels and metals and other things from people, but I've stolen from my own brother's dreams. His life goals and desires."

Bill's smile faltered visibly. Stan stood up and marched straight towards the dream-demon, "But that was back then. _I'm_ in my _sixties_ , and I have a higher chance of dying than any other time in my risky life. I've had friends, love, and power, and I've lost them. I've gained and lost and repeat. The only thing that changed was my way of seeing and thinking. My brother and I are way beyond our younger issues."

Bill was glowering now. What was going on? This crazy senior hadn't ever exploded into a rant like this before to him. Why did he have to be the one to watch him spiral down into insanity? On the other hand, Stan only cheered inwardly since he had caught the dream-demon off guard. His attention was now solely focused on what the elder had to say.

Stan jabbed his finger into Bill's chest. "But _you,_ oh, how old are you again? More than a hundred years passed, and you're _still_ some goofball trying to mess up people's lives? There's no gain! At least I get money!"

Bill unraveled his tongue, and pushed the older man away, "You wrinkly flesh bag! I don't need your stupid life lessons! You completely blew this out of the water when all I wanted was a _simple_ answer."

"Well, that's the thing when you ask a question! You open yourself up to get any kind of _answer._ " Stan cracked a smile, "And guess what, punk? You got one! But it's not at all what you had expected, huh? And who's fault is that, thinking they knew what was coming by doing the _exact same thing_ from forever ago, and never expecting anything else because of it?"

"Just shut your trap, Fez!" Bill barked and clenched his fists, "You're not even making any sense anymore! Senile!"

"Sure, shut me out." Stan rolled his shoulders, "But believe me, I haven't given a good talking like that in decades. Honestly, you wanna poke fun at me when you're just full of shit. No wonder the other demons hurt you. You're just an easy target."

The sudden, loud crackling of wood didn't stir the girl from slumber.

Bill pinned Stan to ground with one hand, holding his other fist high in the air. It was poised to strike with intense flames that promised painful injuries. His piercing eye was curved downwards, and the whiter parts were tinted with red. His voice was almost enough to send him into his grave, " _You_ are _my_ _ **target.**_ "

Stan was absolutely confident in what he was doing. He had not gone loony, or forgotten to take any medicine. He surely wasn't prepared to kick the bucket, or have it be kicked for him. He was just doing some gambling; taking a risk or two.

Stanley wasn't joking when he entrusted Bill to help them monitor Mabel. However, he didn't need some arrogant weakling to take that role. Shouldn't the dream-demon have more power to at least fight back for himself? But apparently not, seeing that he's picked on for fun, to the point where he should be clinically dead. Plus, having his grandniece haul him to the shack was not the only time that Stan had seen him in such a horrid state. Usually, the blonde bastard would just deal with his severe injuries on his own for a long while. And this was before the healing potion was invented.

This meant Bill hadn't even tried training or taking his time to develop his powers. He hadn't been searching for ways to progress his abilities. For as long as Stan had known him, there wasn't any intent on making himself better than trash. No, he was just some lazy, good-for-nothing crook. How was Stan supposed to trust _him_ to watch over Mabel, too?

"Your affinity may be fire, but I've never seen a single spark in your eye." Stan stared straight at him. He couldn't just directly tell him the reason behind all of his rambling. Bill had to realize by himself that all the years he's lived alone were practically over. Change had to start with him, but Stan would gladly provide a push.

"You're gonna see multiple in your own."

"Get off me, Cipher, before Mabel wakes up and gets the wrong idea."

As though he was burned himself, Bill released the old man harshly. They both sat on the floor in heavy silence. His moments of hesitation was loud enough for Stan to hear. The blonde fool was learning.

Out of the blue, Waddles stormed into the room and took in the sight, before bounding over to both of the males. His rapid oinks led Stan to ruffle his head in an attempt to soothe its nerves. With another oink, the pig leapt up onto the bed and tilted its head several times. His owner had yet to awaken, but she appeared to be in less torment than before. Satisfied, Waddles scurried back to Stan and oinked at him.

"Must be hungry." Stan stretched his old joints and gave Bill another once-over. The blonde snarled, "What?!"

Stan only grinned triumphantly. "You're finally looking better."

"Swallow spikes, Fez."

"Only if they're alcoholic."

Bill sent a look of disbelief towards the older man, who only beamed patronizingly. He and the pig left the room, down the stairs and into the vicinity of the kitchen. Bill's gaze lingered on the doorway, before he collapsed against the hardwood floor. With a sigh, he muttered a string of colorful words and empty threats.

 _For once, that shitty bag of bones isn't wrong._

He winced at the thought as though it physically harmed him. The room was starting to suffocate him, and just him, apparently, after checking that Mabel wasn't affected. With that, Bill floated through the open window and searched for a place to properly collect himself. A face full of biting cold didn't hamper him.

There was no snow in sight, but a grey sky that stretched overhead. The endless forest that inhabited all sorts of life, and rolling hills full of turf and flora, were never seen in the Nightmare Realm. It would always be ashen flatlands with deserted civilizations. A constant sky of darkness plus a clear lacking of water and greenery surely gave the dimension its title. Bill found it boring often, always needing to stir life and fun into it. Now, if only the Earth held the barren lands but all the creatures.

He drifted at the base of a tree and settled into it, hoping to think a little. The desire to pinpoint what exactly his goal was and how he would achieve it was a common guest. Usually used for deals and his own hankerings, it never treated him this ruthlessly. The goal suddenly became vague, yet complex all the same, while the path was an extensive, rampant river, pushing against him. He couldn't float, he couldn't swim for too long, and now, he was drowning. Sputtering out his mouth were issues like "Enemies and no allies," "Is it worth it?" and "Can I do it?"

His eyebrow twitched at the nonstop footsteps behind him that disrupted his turbulous train of thought.

"Bigfoot, if you don't leave _right now,_ I will shave your ass for a winter hat."

A few, incoherent noises were muffled, but he could still make out, "Okay, geez. Leaving."

Bill never really liked that Sasquatch. He was so modest, trying to seem like he didn't want to be seen but loved all the stupid attention given to him. What a poser.

It was only a couple of seconds before another noise reached his ears. "Shmebulock!"

Bill groaned; that was always the problem with living in the forest. There were too many roommates to deal with. He set fire to a particularly large tree that burst into flames, warding off the remaining life. In just a few moments, the area was swept with tranquility. Bill began to run through his thoughts again.

Until rapid footsteps prompted Bill to heave a sigh, "Can't you get it through your thick, furry skull, Bigfoot? Get the fuck outta here!"

A considerably big animal whizzed past his cheek and slammed into a tree. Bill recognized the familiar figure of a deer, in which it had softly rasped with pain, before succumbing to unconsciousness.

"Holy shit!" The blonde sprung to his feet and turned around with aggravation written in his features. Bigfoot was there, raising his arms frantically. "I didn't do it!"

The Sasquatch yelped and hightailed it after hearing another garbled, vexed howl. Bill's previously displayed fury only slid into a look of displeasure. He recognized those terrible cries anywhere. Soon enough, a giant mess of greenery and trees met his view. This elicited his expression to slip into a facade of welcoming. He smirked, "Well, if it isn't everyone's _favorite_ weed. Steve! How ya' doing, buddy?"

"I have more deer, _buddy._ " His tone was low and gravelly, just like Bill appreciated.

"Whoa, let's try to cool it. I didn't think a nature lover like yourself could be so hostile." Bill kept his gaze steady on the colossal creature in front of him. He was the same as the Sasquatch, not wanting to be caught and all. Although, Steve was much more somber than Bigfoot. The moss-covered beast with trees for limbs didn't seem delighted to see him at all. Although, it was hard to tell where his eyes were… or his face was, for that matter.

"You _burned down_ one of the trees I've been trying to protect from the lumberjacks. If anyone had to _cool it_ , it would be _you._ "

"Now, we both enjoy some peace and quiet once in a while, don't we?"

Steve seemed unimpressed while he hurled another unsuspecting deer at the dream-demon. Bill simply sidestepped from the line of trajectory. He threw a glance over his shoulder, where the deer was out of sight like a bullet. He blinked, "Rude."

"That's rich."

Steve towered over the blonde, but Bill only floated to his crown and patted him firmly. "Calm your branches. I'll get you a new tree, you green carpet."

He wiped his hand on his pants. The mossy monster was quiet, until, "This is a bargain, isn't it?"

"But of course! Life is just full of exchanges!" Bill threw his arms up for effect. "And here's what I'm proposing: I'll get you a new tree, a wonderful, flourishing one like the one I burned down over there."

He jerked his thumb to the pile of cinders, then lifted his finger, "But, you have to do something very specific for me."

"...I'm listening."

"I do hope you can with all that moss in the way." Bill said in a lighthearted manner. "I just need you to hide someone in that portly body of yours when the time is right."

"Hide someone?" Steve inquired, confounded, "Permanently?"

"Oh, no, I wouldn't want anyone inside you for that long!" He rolled his wrist. "Just, uh, until it's safe for them to come out."

"Well, I'll be." Steve actually sounded amused. " _The_ Bill Cipher really _cares_ about someone."

Said dream-demon did not falter. "Think what you'd like, but all I'm concerned with is if you're shaking this hand or not."

Bill stuck out his flaming palm and waved it suggestively, to which Steve shook it with the tip of his tree appendage. Their connection burned briskly, yet did not set fire to the leaves or cause pain. The dream-demon cocked his head and smiled. "Fantastic."

He landed on the ground and scanned the area. Steve watched as he nodded with approval after scrutinizing a single tree. Disappearing, then reappearing, Bill held a certain device in his hand that he had _borrowed_ from Ford's lab. He aimed it at the tree, flipped a switch, and pulled the trigger. A blue radiance shined onto the tree as a focused ray, which swiftly increased the size of it. Releasing the pressure, Bill smirked at his work.

A stupendous tree had replaced the average-sized one, drawing out a quiet gasp from Steve. Bill crossed his arm while sticking the device in the air with the other. He faced the massive creature with an air of hubris.

"Well, you got what you wanted." Bill nudged him twice. "I think it'd be in your best interest to follow through with your part."

His grin dropped like lightning striking the ground. "Or else your _precious_ trees won't be the only thing set aflame."

Steve hummed in comprehension, not letting himself speak. Bill brightened up once more, "Great! I'll catch you some other time!"

He hovered off of his feet and flew elsewhere. Steve crept over to his newly grown tree, and stroked it tenderly. Deep down in his rocky body, he was puzzled that no tricks had arose from the trade. Which only meant that Bill was quite _serious_ on him holding his end of the deal. Steve made sure to keep a lookout for any upcoming situations.

* * *

"You look worse for wear." Wendy nonchalantly commented. Robbie's arm was loosely slung over her shoulder, although it still kept her close. Dipper was in the midst of chewing out another pen as he skimmed through his great uncle's journal and another book he rented from the library. A few sheets of paper with scrawl and diagrams were laid out on the table in front of him, barely staying in order. The young boy glanced up after a few seconds. "Sorry, what?"

"Don't tell me the ink went straight through your ears," Wendy quipped, "Also, tone down the gnawing. That's the third pen, and I wouldn't want to call the custodian again."

"Right, my bad. Just a little stressed out." Dipper nibbled a few more times before forcing it out of his mouth. Tambry looked up for a second, curled her mouth in disgust, then returned to her rapid typing. Lee waved his hand, "Dude, just _chill._ Work can't be that bad."

Dipper perked up, before muttering, "Yeah… work."

He resumed to his intense researching, to which Robbie groaned quietly. He whispered to his girlfriend, "Can we just kick him out already? He's bringing down the vibe."

She elbowed him and smirked, "Says the guy who wears all black and broods nonstop."

"Aw, babe, you know I can stop sometimes."

She snorted. "When?"

"When you're giving me that sweet _love_ ," He sang. She laughed and pushed him away, "Knock it off, you dork!"

The screech of metal against the tiles brought forth almost all attention. The avid conversations in the cafeteria dimmed to low murmurs. Dipper had stood up with a smile that was barely distinguishable. He gathered up his items and spoke calmly, "I just realized that I left some work in my office."

Wordlessly, he departed from the table and out of the cafeteria without a hitch in his step. Students began to speak normally again, only brushing off his abrupt exit. Lee remarked, "Well, that was weird."

"What about? He did have more work." Nate reminded him. Robbie relaxed in his seat with a dramatic sigh. "Finally, now we can breathe again—"

Wendy punched his arm, without any trace of its usual affection. He winced, while she glared. Standing up, the redhead followed after her friend.

"Dipper! Slow down!" Said boy halted in his steps and waited for her to catch up. His rigid posture failed to hide his surprise. Wendy slowed to a stop, "Geez, those stubby legs can carry you far."

Before he could think twice, he glanced down, causing her to snicker. Dipper flushed in embarrassment, "I'm going to be taller one day, I swear it."

"No swearing! You're too young." She patted his hat warmly. He grimaced at her words, but forced a snort, "You might be surprised of what I've done so far at my age."

"Hey, I'll hold your word for it. You'll need to tell me some time." The redhead smirked, before it fell to a frown, "But right now, I need you to tell me what's going on."

Dipper stared at her, contemplating the pros and cons. She was a close friend, and she reserved the right to be concerned. He'd certainly have to inform another close friend of his, one that was good with tools and adorably chubby, anyway. In future situations, they could come as a significant help. Although, it may just get them in more trouble. Would they be put in danger for knowing?

The saccharine scene of her and Robbie didn't do any good to his current stress. But he felt like being a little selfish, and having her worry about him for at least a couple of minutes would be nice.

Dipper checked the clock on the wall, then looked around. Seeing the coast was clear, he beckoned her to follow him.

Wendy shut the door behind the two while they situated themselves in Dipper's office. She whistled, "Never been here before."

He walked behind his desk and sat down, "I don't really expect visitors, so you're gonna have to find a place to sit… or stand, if you want."

The redhead leaned over to inspect some knickknacks on the shelf. Poking a funny-looking monkey holding cymbals, it suddenly jerked with life and clashed the two brass plates together. Both the howling and clanging faded after a few seconds, allowing silence to fill in the room. She was unsuccessful to hold in her laughter, "Why do you have this?"

"It's rude to deny gifts, especially from Soos."

Wendy nodded, "That's true. Rejecting him is like punching a kitten."

"It might be worse."

"Okay, none of that." Wendy planted her hands on his desk, "We came to talk some private biz, so lay it on me!"

There was a notion in Dipper's head that what they were about to talk about was about Mabel and nothing about his _feelings_. Wendy was his _good friend_ , and he craved the support from a _good friend_ , so he needed to stop thinking like an absolute _creep_. Clearing his throat dramatically, Dipper carefully explained yesterday's events, omitting his exchange with Pacifica, which lead into Bill's reveal. The incident was still fresh in his head, yet it still seemed as though it was far away.

Wendy didn't interrupt during his recollection, only displaying her thoughts through facial expressions. Once he was done, she could only drawl, "Wow."

"Yep."

"Sorry to say, but I have a feeling that this is just the beginning of some crazy stuff."

"Don't be." Dipper gave her a reassuring smile, "I wouldn't expect anything less. It's why I told you. We'll need all the help we can get."

"You got it."

He scratched the back of his head. "I think this can go without saying, but you can keep this under wraps, right?"

She only zipped her lips, locked them, and tossed away the invisible key. Then, she shrugged, "Keep what secret?"

Dipper beamed. "Thanks, Wendy."

"Don't mention it. Just name your first child after me, and we'll call it even."

They both burst out into laughter at the statement. Soon after, the bell chimed, indicating the end of the lunch period. Wendy saluted and sauntered out of his office. The door shut slowly, leaving an unsettled tranquility. Dipper felt the smile on his face fade away. He looked out the window, towards the freezing fields. Of course, blinding hope and solid support were always welcomed, but action is what really did it. And at the moment, Dipper felt as though he couldn't do anything. What was there to do?

Mabel would need guidance, but how could they teach her correctly? What could they expect?

Dipper preferred that they had a certain path to take instead of winging it. There just had to be _something_ out there that contained more information to Mabel's powers. It's already been seen before, right? Although, however long ago it was last possessed was still a mystery.

Sure, Bill had been searching for knowledge about this across a greater vicinity than Dipper could ever achieve. But maybe spanning across the land wasn't the answer. Perhaps he could dig deeper than the blonde did.

Where would he begin?

Dipper's head jerked upwards at the sound of a distinct click. His door was open again, and in all of his magnificent glory stood Stanford Pines. The older man closed the door behind him and crept over to the desk.

"Are you alright?" Ford prodded lightly. Dipper shifted his weight. "Never better."

 _At least the tugging stopped,_ The young boy relished, subconsciously massaging his chest again. Ford sighed, "I'm sorry that we still have to work instead of staying home with Mabel. If it were up to me, I'd—"

"It's totally okay, Grunkle Ford." Dipper held his hands up with a disarming smile. "Mabel is fine, so now we make sure the rest of the town is fine."

He had met up with Pacifica once he arrived at the academy. Of course, she asked him questions pertaining to Mabel's status. And to his astonishment, she showed the slightest amount of guilt that he had to be there in the first place. Dipper was at the mercy of her cute shame, then decided to brush off any former vexation he held. He had a duty to uphold as the personal strategist of the Gravity Falls Academy.

"Oh!" Ford said, taken aback. "Well, here you are again. Mature as always."

"I try not to brag."

Ford only gave him a bittersweet grin, then squashed the hat on his grandnephew's head. Dipper grouched without any real displeasure. He fixed the placement of his hat while Ford stood back with his hands on his hips and his chest puffed with pride. The standard pose for the scientist.

"I'm very proud of you, Dipper. Stan and I both are. And I'm certain your parents would be, too."

Dipper felt his limbs move at the same speed of molasses. He studied the expression on his great uncle's face, memorizing the earnest look. One that would be another reason for him to continue on through the adversities of life and all things in it. One that told him that what he's done until each new second had not been for naught.

A wholesome smile made way to his lips. "You really think so?"

"One-hundred percent."

* * *

The darkness cradled her as though she was just an infant.

Her body was floating. It was swaying, moved by an invisible breeze. It was drifting, carried by an unknown sea.

She was lost.

 _Why?_

She didn't know.

 _Know what?_

She… didn't know.

A wave swept over her, tingling each part of her body.

 _Am I alive, anymore?_

Her heart soared with panic. Memories flooded in like a raging river. Her love for sweaters and glitter and Waddles. Creatures she had never met but always wanted to see. The people she loved and cared about, they would suffer from her lost. She would leave them all alone with burdened thoughts and horrid emotions. She couldn't die.

Her hands desired to reach out, but they stayed limp by her side. Her mouth opened, yet she had no air to voice her call.

Suddenly, she was rising, surging. Up and up and up…

* * *

Mabel felt as though her spirit rammed into her body, then fused into it. Despite the abrupt rush, she could only crack her eyes open like old shutters. The tinted sunlight pouring through the window was refreshing to see. The warmth surrounding her body was physically comforting, and she actually seemed to possess all of her other senses. To be blunt, she simply felt alive again.

A voice, incredulous, yet with an undertone of relief, whispered, "Shooting Star…"

Mabel tilted her head slightly to find Bill sitting down beside her bed. His knees were bent up against his chest as his face peered over them. Her large, benign eyes seemed to swallow him whole. Then, a smile subconsciously appeared on her lips, albeit tiny. Nevertheless, he shamefully felt his breath almost catch at the sight. She tried to speak, but found her voice still couldn't be made. A cold glass touched her lips, and suddenly liquid was flowing into her parched throat. She shimmied upright and rested her back against the pillow while gulping greedily. Bill placed the glass on the bedside table once it was empty.

A sound of satisfaction came after, so she tried to speak again. Out of nowhere, a pink body launched itself onto her chest. The force knocked some air out of her, but her arms were faster to react. A bubbly giggle erupted from her lips while she snuggled her cheek against Waddles'.

Bill closed his eye for a split second and savored her laugh. As Mabel hugged her pig close, she stared at the blonde questioningly. He returned her gaze with an expecting eye.

Her lips moved. "How long…?"

"A day and a half."

"Oh." She stated plainly. Waddles had settled into her lap, so she caressed his head automatically. Mabel yawned, even though she had slept for so long. Her body was still exhausted, and a little sore, if she dwelled on it. She smiled at him again, "Well, I'm glad you're the first thing I see in the morning."

She paused. "Is it morning?"

"It's noon." He was being terse, for some reason. A subtle type of brevity that could be argued as normality if inquired. She ignored his intense stare and chose to ask instead, "Is there something wrong?"

Checking her other side, there was no second head sprouting from her shoulders. Bill only rose an eyebrow at this action, but overlooked it. He replied, "There shouldn't be."

"So…" Her lips stayed in an "O" shape as she attempted to bring up a topic. There was so much to talk about, she didn't know where to begin. Maybe getting a rise out of him would make the entire situation more comfortable. She shrugged awkwardly, "What's up, Billster?"

That caught him off guard. "...What?"

"Don't like that?" She puckered her lips in thought. "Okay. How about... Billony?"

His eyes squinted accusingly. "Are you trying to change my name again?!"

"What about Billio?"

" _Stop_." The name-abused blonde could easily read her intentions. He held his hand up, "Just—look, we need to talk about what happened to you—"

"Alright, geez! A girl wakes up from a short coma, and now she has to talk business." She exclaimed without warning, throwing her hands up. Afterwards, she folded her arms and grumbled, "More like Bill the Killjoy."

His eye couldn't become any more narrow if he tried. She could barely even see if it was open anymore. Nonetheless, her pout shined through, "You know I don't mean anything by it. I'm just trying to lighten the mood."

"Yes, and it was a terrible way to go about it." Bill rolled his eye, "Any other way to do that without stupid nicknames?"

She patted her mattress feverishly while her eyes sparkled, "You can sit here beside me."

She laid down corrected; he _could_ make his eye thinner. Bill drawled, "And that'll be better for the mood?"

She nodded keenly. He then threw his head back and made a noise that crossed between a clogged garbage drain and something like a drowning ghost. It only lasted for a moment until he complied with her wishes. The bed dented under his weight, and she felt a light blush dust her cheeks from the fact that he obeyed her words without a fuss. Plus, he was now very close to her. He eyed her in scrutiny. "Are you all nice and comfortable for interrogation?"

"Just a moment." She turned around briefly to fluff her pillow. "I think so, now."

"Aren't you just the lowest low-maintenance gal around." Bill spat. He didn't appear to want to say anything else, so she took that as her cue. "You wanna know how I'm feeling and junk, right?"

He nodded in confirmation. She sighed, "If I'm gonna be honest, I feel like I was torn apart and then put back together. And at the moment, it's like getting used to my limbs again."

She jiggled her arms for a clear demonstration, making Waddles shake with her. "Oh, but during the, uh, moment of power and stuff, I felt… asleep, but still aware. You ever in that state where your eyes are sealed and your mind is blank, but you can still sense your surroundings?"

He eyed her oddly. She shrugged uncertainly. "Hey, it _does_ happen! But, yeah, kinda like that."

He quirked an eyebrow, but paid no heed to her strange comparison. Bill asked, "And now? What're you feeling?"

"Huh?" She pointed at herself, "You mean, like, my emotions?"

He didn't correct her, so she continued, "Well, I don't know? I'm not sure what to think, and I think that _thinking_ too hard will surely make me go crazy!"

Mabel immediately placed her face in her hands. She relaxed and breathed, before peeking from the tips of her fingers. Bill was still surveying her with great attention to detail, probably trying to see if her emotions would take over. She mumbled into her palms, "Why didn't you _tell_ me?"

He blinked, as if forgetting his own existence. "I… was still unsure. By the time I had solidified my own thoughts, you had gone and done it."

"There was no warning, though." She looked at her knuckles. "But I should've known. _I_ was the one who overheard my parents speaking. _I_ was the only one conscious to have hurt Gideon to save myself. _I_ had already _felt_ it, but I ignored it."

She gripped onto her pig and dug her forehead into his cuddly self.

"I just thought that I would be a _normal_ girl."

Mabel scrunched her eyes, refraining the urge to sniffle. They reopened when a hand brushed back her hair. Bill said in an amused, hushed tone, "Remember what I said? Normality doesn't exist, and you were _far_ from the concept of normal, anyway. Take it from me. You're as crazy as a female can get."

"Thanks, that makes me feel _so_ much better." Although her voice was sarcastic, her appreciative smile was a delight to the eye. Mabel blinked, realizing exactly how close he was to her face. His hand rested on the side of her head, and his body leaning towards hers was not any better. She couldn't help but glow like a bright, ripe tomato. He just makes it so _difficult_ sometimes.

There was a trace of doubt in his eye. "You're red. That's not supposed to be an aftereffect…?"

"Don't worry about it!" She shrugged and slightly shoved herself a little further back. "It's just my natural luminance."

Desperate to steer her mind elsewhere, she prompted, "So, you know how my powers work?"

"I do." He stood up and summoned a flame in his hand. "Your soul is like the single match that will light the only torch in a dark cave. Although small, it still holds tremendous capability, and the impacts reach extensively. But the thing is that fire tends to become uncontrollable if fed too much fuel."

He used air quotes. "Your fuel are things that cause extremely negative changes to your emotional stability, which can lead to maximum obliteration."

Mabel blinked. "What?"

" _You_ —"

He pointed.

"—plus being very _upset_ —"

He feigned wiping away tears.

"—equals destruction."

Her face lit up. "Oooh."

Bill hurled a flame to her face, where it dissipated on contact. She giggled. "That tickles."

"And I understand why I can't hurt you with my fire." He clarified, "My flames are a part of my powers, which are demonic. You're resistant to dark energy. Immune, even!"

Bill studied her as though she were an ancient artifact. "That's why when Gideon sucked out some of your soul essence, you very nearly broke his amulet. That's why Mermando wanted to eat you, and others were attracted to you. Your soul has a magnificent level of power; it's just _pure_ energy. Just think about when you'll be able to control it!"

She felt uneasy at his keen, inquisitive stare. He backed off slightly. "It's not like I'm trying to use you. This will be for your own good."

Mabel blinked again, astounded, before chuckling. She waved him off, "I know. I just haven't exactly seen you so hyped up about something."

Bill realized an unfamiliar surging in his blood and emotion clouding his head. He was wholly _excited?_

"No, stop it—" He frowned at the girl who was smiling cheekily. "Stop that right now."

"C'mon, it's a good feeling, isn't it? Just let it _flow._ "

"I feel nothing."

She moved her hands around like she was maneuvering the air. "Can you see me using it? Do I look cool?"

"You look _foolish_."

They both dipped into silence at an approaching noise. Nearing footsteps created brisk creaks from the stairs. "Ugh, I know I told you to watch her, but you've been stuck there for a while now—"

Stanley halted at the doorway at the sight of his conscious grandniece. The two seemed to try to communicate through their eyes, but to no avail.

"Grunkle Stan…" Mabel trailed off. Without a second wasted, Stan darted to where she sat and scooped her up in a strong embrace. Waddles squealed as he was forced to move aside. The great uncle felt manly tears sting his eyes. "Geez, kid, you gave us a scare."

"I'm sorry." She responded automatically, wrapping her arms around him. He blinked away the blurriness and peeled off of her, "Don't say that, you brat. You didn't steal anything or hurt anyone, so don't say it."

Feeling an apology on her tongue, she decided to just nod instead. Suddenly, Stan whirled towards Bill, who had been standing awkwardly. "You devious punk! Why didn't you tell me she was awake?"

Bill shrugged. "I forgot you were in the building."

"I live here!"

"People live on Earth, you think I know everyone on Earth?"

"That's a stupid excuse—"

"It's okay!" Mabel mediated. "It's okay. All that matters is that I'm awake and you're here, right?"

Stan simmered down… before yelling again, "No! I should've known sooner!"

"Like it would've made a difference!" Bill hollered back. Mabel let out an exasperated growl. "Can we _please_ just drop it? I still want to know how I'm supposed to learn how to use my powers correctly!"

"That's right!" Bill snapped his fingers. "Your great uncles will have to take charge."

She cheered. "Yay! Can I get a preview?"

"Well, I can give you a theory." He said, gesturing his words. "It'll probably be like trying to grab a hold of water. If you just mindlessly grab it, you won't get anything. But if you cup it with your hands, you'll get something. Then again, your hands are too small to cup everything, so you have limited access on your abilities."

"Why can't I use all of it?"

"Didn't you hear me earlier? Your soul weapon is just seemingly boundless amounts of energy. If you do open up to using the entire extent of your power, then your spirit overrides your mind, rendering you unable to be fully conscious. That's so your body can focus on handling so much energy instead of voluntary movement."

Mabel scrunched her nose at this discovery. Stan arched an eyebrow. "Why does she even have a weapon like that?"

Bill looked at her, where she was expecting another long explanation. However, he could only shrug with a shake of his head.

"Fate works in mysterious ways, Fez."

Stan snorted. "Ain't that the truth."

Mabel stretched with a cute mewl, before plopping herself onto her feet. Waddles oinked charmingly, before sprinting down the stairs. She placed her hands on her hips with a satisfied look. "Well, after being asleep for _years_ , I'd like to breathe a little."

"What, you're gonna walk out the door again?" Stan asked, not bothering to question her exaggerated time frame. She recoiled. "Uh, duh! Being trapped in this wooden cage is not on my bucket list."

"This is your home." Stan grumbled. "And it's still freezing outside."

"Yes, it is!" Mabel agreed. "But I just need another vacay, and that's what my sweaters are made for. Bill can go with me, if that'll make you feel any better."

"It doesn't." Stan remarked without skipping a beat. She suggested, "He's my meat shield?"

"Okay, a little."

"I'm standing _right_ here."

"Great!" Mabel clapped her hands. "Now that we're done stating the obvious, let's head out!"

"After you." Bill motioned, not putting up a fight. He already knew he'd be dragged along one way or another. It was only a matter of wasting time. Mabel gave Stan another tight embrace, before skipping out of the room, with Bill in tow. She mussed up Waddles' head, then swung the door open. The frigid wind was like a truck hitting her full on.

"Being swaddled up in a blanket made me forget that winter exists." She said with a slight shudder. "It might even snow later."

"Surely, you'll stay indoors, then?"

"Nope!" Mabel rubbed the thick cloth of her sweater against her skin while she headed out. "And don't call me Shirley!"

Her feet led her aimlessly, yet this time, she was not encompassed by an endless darkness and suffering from chest pains. She was free to roam her home's heavily vegetated grounds.

Bill whistled. "We're getting pretty deep into these woods again."

"Horrible stuff happens," Mabel replied softly, "but I can't let that ruin something I enjoy daily."

He gazed at her as she strode in front of him. Pale sunlight streamed through the leaves and fell to the ground as patches. Mabel rested on her knees and plucked a flower from the multitude on the ground.

 _Were those always there?_ Bill thought with disdain.

Falling leaves and speckled birds graced the air—

 _I don't think I've ever seen that many here..._

—followed by the tiny sparkles from curious fairies.

 _Okay, what the hell,_ Bill curled his lips, _Why is everything trying to make her prettier?!_

She was in awe and stared upwards, observing the two different species mingling to preserve the forest life.

"Fairies!" She turned to Bill, "Isn't this amazing?"

A sharp reply was at the tip of his tongue, but one look at her expression had him frozen. Bill, for once, was at a loss for words. His fingers didn't have the same tingling it always did. He didn't mind the serenity of the display in front of him. If anything, he felt like he wanted it to last forever.

But the world was always more than just a single painting.

"Hide."

"What?"

In a frenzy, the birds and fairies fled. The space fabric that separated the Earth plane from the Nightmare Realm was being torn _right_ where they were standing. Bill could already feel the overwhelming aura of the pink demon he hated most. In the same second, he sensed Steve wandering nearby. He didn't waste a moment as he expected the worst. There was just a millisecond where she would appear, spot Mabel, and take them both out. He wouldn't let that happen.

It seemed like people just liked to throw her around recently. Mabel gasped in pain as gradually stopped tossing and turning against the dirt. She must have went a little over fifteen feet from where she had been previously standing.

Unexpectedly, she was engulfed in something damp and soft, before she was stranded inside a gritty space. She felt her breath catch and banged against the rock, "HELP!"

"Be quiet." Steve disguised himself as a mossy boulder and whispered within. Mabel didn't listen. "HELP! BILL! I GOT EATEN BY A ROCK! I DON'T HAVE ANY SCISSORS ON ME!"

The creature growled in frustration, "Why did Bill assign me to some human girl…"

Her fists ceased to resume her unbridled attacks. "Bill made you do this?"

"To protect you."

She said feebly, "Oh, well, thanks. You're pretty nice for a… _thing_ that has to contain someone inside of them."

Steve didn't respond. Mabel heard a raspy, feminine voice slice through the foliage. "Oh, Bill! I've missed you _so_ much!"

Well, at least Mabel knew that he did throw her away for a good reason. She was reluctant to begin thinking of forms of revenge. Although, the pain was beginning to numb, anyway. Only, it was replaced by a rapidly growing fear in her chest.

Bill scowled, keeping an unwavering stance. "Why're you here?"

"You stopped coming back, and we were _just_ starting to wonder why." Pyronica stretched out her whip and licked her lips. "I miss having fun with your frail, little body."

Although she could barely hear them, the atmosphere had become eerily quiet enough for her to understand. Mabel almost gagged at the statement. This demon had been one to regularly injure Bill, and enjoyed it thoroughly. Just the thought made her fists quiver slightly. Then, her mind reeled, _What if she's here to hurt him again?_

 _ **Again**_ **.**

Bill was going to be hurt _again._

Mabel felt her breathing quicken as she forced herself against the gravelly surface. It was a desperate reminder that she would surely perish if she wasn't careful. Running out and declaring combat wasn't exactly something she could do… yet.

"Of course, all good things must come to an end." Pyronica pouted, her thick lips curving sadly. She presented the palm of her hand and summoned a revolving sphere of black energy. Bill felt himself back away just an inch. Pyronica smirked at his subtle reaction. "You like it? It's a gift from my lord."

Anything from the dark king himself spelled bad news. Bill retorted, "I don't suppose you want me to ask what it is?"

"Oh, no, go ahead!"

A pause. Pyronica stared at him expectantly, until Bill blinked. She tilted her head, "Well? I'm waiting!"

Bill spoke begrudgingly. "What... is it?"

"I'm glad you asked! This is extremely rare and contains unimaginable amounts of energy that will react quite _violently_ once it touches a poor, unfortunate soul."

Without warning, Pyronica's fiery whip wrapped around his torso. Bill's eye widened and he barely had time to even think of making an outraged expression. He flung forward, landing in front of her on his knees.

"I always liked this look on you."

Bill didn't struggle. "I'll make sure that you'll all do the same for me one day."

Pyronica guffawed. "Are you saying you're gonna actually try to beat us?"

"I got a little more insane, what can I say?"

"As much as I want to watch you try…" Pyronica flipped the handle of her whip several times.

"...I've got a job I need to do."

Not a second was passed as her other hand struck through his chest, then returned empty. He cried out in agony, even though there was no hole left behind or blood spilling from his body. The intense pain was coming from unreachable depths within him, and it was just beginning to erupt.

"Sorry the fun ends here, sweetie! I guess my lord was just tired of your boring presence!" Her cackle was worse than anything a witch could make. "At least, now, you'll leave an _impression!_ Toodles!"

She whirled on her feet, using a powerful kick to launch him farther into the forest. Then, her existence disappeared without a trace.

Bill relentlessly tumbled across the ground, gradually coming to a halt. There was nothing to interrupt his heavy breathing that brushed the grass. The smell of earthy material invaded his nostrils. His skin began to prickle, as if each cell in his body was being pinched into dust. A scream was trying to claw out of his throat, he had not a single particle in his body that possessed strength.

His eye fluttered open and shut, but still stared aimlessly at the sky.

 _I'm going... to die…?_

Within seconds, he lost consciousness.

Still stuck, Mabel clawed at the rock. "Hey… hey! What happened?!"

Steve was mute, only sliding her out of his body. She instantly searched the area with fleeting eyes. In the end, she came up empty, with the object of her affections out of sight. Turning to the creature, Mabel urged, "Where is he?"

"You must run and take cover... " Steve advised with a sympathetic undertone. He immediately figured out Pyronica's implication to what would happen to Bill. There was nothing that could help him, but that didn't mean this human had to suffer, too. She only shook her head adamantly; her heart was pounding out of her chest. "I didn't ask for that! I want to know where Bill is!"

"You won't be able to do anything." He tried to reason. Mabel only stomped her foot like a spoiled child. "I only asked for one thing and that was to _tell_ me where he _is!_ "

She furiously pointed, and Steve suddenly felt threatened by her looming wrath. Mabel shouted, "I _demand_ that you _listen_ to me!"

Soon enough, Mabel was hastily hiking her way through the verdant maze, towards the horrid sensation nearby. Stumbling on her feet, she broke into a sprint towards the location. Perhaps this was another monster and not Bill, but she was willing to take any chance that she could. Steve wouldn't lie to her, would he? Even though she hadn't known him for long, he seemed very generous and solicitous.

Her eyes worked as quickly as her feet. She scanned past the greenery and large, sturdy trunks, until she found his discarded body writhing. "Bill?!"

Mabel bolted and kneeled beside him. She couldn't believe her own eyes. His skin was littered with specks of black, and they were progressively spreading. Ink blobs began to join together and form from his tainted flesh. She reached for him, only to instinctively retract her hand when it burned from the touch. She felt tears already leaking from her eyes, and they weren't caused by the pain.

He was dying in front her—he was _dying!_

"It's going t-to be o-okay!" Mabel could barely speak through her own sobs. Her hands hovered above him, unsure of what to do. She kept her gaze on his face. "I-I can fix this—I-I'll do something!"

She didn't see blood pooling underneath his body. There were no cuts or wounds or lost limbs. The source of his torment was coming from inside, and she could feel it.

The notion of Bill dying had always been pushed to the back of her head. She always knew that he'd be alive in the end because of his immortality, even if that didn't decrease her discomfort when he got hurt. When she learned of his heartbeat, it did little to nothing to wane her belief. Yet, this was _different_. This wasn't a slash on the back or a collision with a brick wall. This was something she had no experience with or knowledge of. Something inside of him was going to _kill_ him.

For some reason, she couldn't bare to imagine her life without him. She always hung around him for her own selfish reasons, and he let her. He occupied an emptiness that arose when her parents had died, and when her brother became too busy. He kept her grounded when she wanted to stay too long in the clouds, but she was able to show him there was more than just rooting yourself to one spot. He was nothing like anyone else could ever be because he was special.

Bill Cipher was not a weakling, an annoyance, or a fool.

He was _special_.

And he'd always be to her.

With all of these thoughts, an epiphany pierced her right in the chest that closed off all rational thought. A new feeling was bubbling where her realization struck. Mabel gulped a shaky breath and hurriedly wiped her falling tears. Placing both hands on either side of his head, her mind desperately pleaded that this would work correctly. Her hair trickled down and curtained them both to prevent the world from watching her bold actions. Slowly, she lowered herself down onto his deteriorating form.

"I _can't_ lose you, too."

Her lips firmly pressed against his, and it felt as though the world stopped for a few moments. Her eyes scrunched tightly while she only focused on the power surging in herself. His skin didn't seem to sear her own this time. She only registered the intensity of this need and the pressure on her mouth. This was not an act of lust or greed, but of true compassion.

Unbeknownst to her, the sable dots on his skin began to flake off. Bright light encircled and danced around their fixed positions, blinding any creature that gazed upon it. The rays extended for miles through patches of leaves and trees. It even grazed the sky, like a small sun had spawned in the ground. Continuous streams of dark energy exited his body while she emanated her powers, where they both blended together from clashing tones to a harmonious equilibrium. There was a strong breeze carrying a dazzling display of fading particles.

As the illumination finally faded, the world continued moving, albeit silently. Mabel slid off of Bill and collapsed on her side. She was knocked out cold.

He wearily opened his eye and groaned quietly. Taking note of his surroundings, he was pleasant to find out that he had not ended up exploding. Bill turned his head towards the girl laying at his side, and wondered if this was her doing. She slept peacefully, but upon closer inspection, there was distress in her expression. Blisters were beginning to form on her hand.

He pulled himself up into an upright position and mulled over fresh, invading memories. His hand grasped his forehead, trying to hold his mind from falling apart. Closing his eye, he could vividly see his father on the throne. His powerful voice taking absolute control, generating resolutions and preventing disasters. The crown atop his head was glittering pure gold. His mother, standing proudly, would fill in positions that his father was too busy to take. She showed more compassion for the people as her husband was focused on the higher-ups. Finally, his kingdom alive and bustling. Peasants and middle-class would roam the streets, passing by markets or entertainers.

Bill saw the image of a younger boy who possessed tricks and fibs, yet also the confidence of being a future ruler. Someone who knew both the streets and the palace. A person that had a brilliant future in his hands.

"I… remember..."

* * *

 _ **Yes.**_

 **Enjoy your holidays and new year!**


	40. Chapter 40

**AWSR(Guest): *listens to the song, hums the song, mutters the song, bellows it out to the world***

 **Guest: YAAAS. I WILL!**

 **Tree(Guest): AAH! THANK YOU! Here, have another chapter!**

 **Kaos-hime: Thank you for your appreciation! Aren't they adorable?**

 **Anonymous(Guest): Aw, you're awesome! Thank you!**

 **lunathemoongoddess217: I'm pleased to deliver!**

 **Timmy Fakes: Your wish is granted!**

 **aerizel: I was glad to start off the year with a new chapter!**

 **Guest 1: oh em goodness. Me, an author? *points to self questioningly* I don't know what else to say but thank you!**

 **Paul Starhaven: Yay! Let's see what happens next! Also, ah, that powerful thing was gonna explode him from the inside and destroy his body and soul, but Mabel rids of it.**

 **Linky Wilms: I absolutely loved Soul Eater, and I finished both the manga and anime. If you read this, you're probably all caught up and have seen both Dipper and Mabel's weapons. Also, I don't know, but I find confident Dipper who's internally dying of awkwardness adorable. Hooray! Thank you!**

 **PsychoticChainsaw123: Your hopes were not for naught!**

 **japanesegirl101: (** **ﾉ** **^ω^)** **ﾉﾟ** **You have my sincere welcome!**

 **FallingWillow: You're fine! I understand the likes and dislikes towards certain characters, and that's absolutely fine! I'll admit, your bluntness slightly put me off, but if I can't do anything about it and it doesn't exactly affect me personally, then there's nothing I have to worry about. However, she is the second most important character if Dipper is the protagonist, so there'll be more of her. Also, thank you again!**

 **NickStriker: Yes, we do! Here we go!**

* * *

 ***CLAP CLAP, POP***

 **200 followers! And favorites are fast approaching! Plus, 300 reviews! Thank you all!**

 **For future reference, if you'd like to create fanart for this story, feel free to do so as long as it's sourced! I'd love to see any and all of it!**

 **Here's another wonderful work from HeadsofScwab! Check it out on DeviantArt!** **/art/First-Dance-649678712**

 **Also, currently dead because of Regular Show finale, so I apologize for the delay. Funnily enough, I received a lot of Gravity Falls vibes from the finale, which made me even more sad.**

 **Anyway, enjoy! HAPPY V-DAY!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

There was a shuffle of feet in front of the door, before it was swung open with a bang. Waddles scurried up onto his hooves and met the newcomers at the doorway. Stan, who had been napping, stirred from his rest. The newspaper drifted to the floor as he lazily cracked open his eyes. Drool dripped down from his open mouth, plopping onto his shirt. He groggily said, "Wha—? You have no evidence!"

Dipper rushed inside, hurling his bag to the floor. He sent his great uncle a look of confusion, before he shook his head and sprinted upstairs. The pig hurried after him with blind excitement. Right after, Ford walked inside, much slower than the speeding boy. He set down his bag next to Dipper's and stretched out his back.

"Any updates on Mabel?" He questioned his relaxing twin. Stanley waved him off, "She woke up an hour ago."

"She did?!" Ford's calm demeanor broke almost comically. Footsteps indicated Dipper's rapid descent down the stairs. Waddles came tumbling behind him as the pig couldn't restrain his speed. The three males watched as the pink animal laid on his stomach, his arms and legs stretched out with evident exhaustion. After checking the pig for any signs of pain, the young boy popped out his head from the side of the doorway, where his hands had a steadfast grip on the wooden frame.

"Where is she?"

"She's—" _Yawn,_ "—She went out with what's-his-face."

Already knowing who was accompanying her, Dipper frowned. "So soon?"

"Yep," Stan folded his arms behind his head, "but what's with the rush? I'd expect you to think she was still sleeping."

"I…" Dipper rubbed his chest, which was absent of any discomfort. "I just had a feeling."

"And you were allowed to go home so soon?"

Ford informed him graciously, "Pacifica decided to release us early, seeing that we had personal affairs to attend to, and that today was rather… uneventful. So, we weren't needed anymore."

"Ah, ya got the old boot to the backside?" Stan said with pseudo sympathy. Dipper and Ford exchanged a look, then strolled over to where he was sitting. Stan continued, "You get numb to it after a few more failures."

"Grunkle Stan!" Dipper's frown deepened and he crossed his arms against his chest. "We didn't get fired. And I don't think that's something you should get used to."

"You'll need thick skin to survive," Stan tapped his bicep, "It'll protect ya from the world and the things on it."

Dipper looked to Ford again, who actually tapped the back of his six-fingered hand, signaling his silent agreement. The young boy grimaced, "Is that why you started your own business? To hide?"

Stan barked out a laugh and whacked Dipper on his back. "Hey, they say the worst enemy is yourself."

Dipper grumbled, unconvinced, "Uh huh…"

"Watch and learn," The old man cleared his throat and pointed at himself, "You're fired!"

His eyebrows drew together. "What? You can't fire me!"

He stuck up his index finger. "Why can't I?"

"Because this is my shop and without me, it's nothing!" Stan palmed his fist with a face of recognition, "Of course! You're right!"

He displayed a toothy smile. "See? I defeated myself and won at the same time."

Ford facepalmed while Dipper could only scratch his head. Stan waved his hand, "Look, kid, the point is: You're gonna face some setbacks, and jerks that cause them."

Dipper rolled his eyes. "I already know that—"

"There's more than just Pacifica and Bill," Stan interrupted, "and there's gonna be times where you're alone. Can you do it on your own?"

Before Dipper could properly answer, the door was kicked open with brute force. Startled, the three males whirled around to see the newcomer. Lo and behold, it was Bill Cipher, the guy of everyone's dreams (literally, he knew no privacy), and their dearly beloved, Mabel Pines.

He was carrying her bridal style; a grim look was plastered on his face. Grunkle Stan immediately reacted, springing to his feet with fists poised. "What the hell did you do this time?!"

"Nothing!" Bill spat venomously at him, and seemingly to himself, as well. He stepped further inside after shutting the door with his foot. The door only bounced to and fro on its hinges. Furious, he kicked the door completely off of the structure, where it flew towards the great landscape of nature. Ford pinched the bridge of his nose. "I assume you aren't paying for that."

Bill blatantly ignored him. "She did this to herself."

He thrusted her into the Ford's arms since he was closer. The older man nearly dropped her at the sudden weight. A complaint formed on his tongue, but Bill beat him to it. "Here, take her. She's heavy."

"And where are you going?!" Stan shouted at the blonde's currently retreating form. Ford was already heading towards the younger twins' room upstairs. Dipper added hotly, "You can't just waltz in here like you own the place! Plus, Mabel's _unconscious,_ for some reason! Explain!"

Bill paused at the threshold. He clenched and unclenched his fist, before glaring over his shoulder.

"I'll be back whenever," He strongly dismissed, before saluting with two fingers, "Don't wait up."

Then, he was gone. Dipper muttered, "Of course…"

"Everytime she goes out, something happens." Stan rubbed his temples with mild distaste. He didn't want to start limiting Mabel's free time outside, but having to worry over her whenever she left would be seriously annoying. Both he and Dipper made their way up the attic, feeling a strange occurrence of déjà vu. However, once they arrived, Mabel was awake with Ford kneeling on the floor beside her. She was leaning back against the wooden board of her bed. Seeing the two enter, she perked up considerably. "You guys! Oh, you wouldn't believe what happened…"

"You used your powers?" Ford guessed, still checking her soul essence levels with a spell. It was quite interesting to see his hands seamlessly maneuver transparent images of rose gold. Dipper could observe the fluctuating bars on graphs labeled by unknown characters over his great uncle's shoulder. Stan also took a shot at it, "Bill was incompetent?"

"Uh…" Dipper felt the need to join in. "Something happened between you two?"

"Yes, yes, and yes!" She confirmed giddily, then thought for a moment. "Wait, no, it wasn't really his fault…"

"Just tell us what happened, sweetie." Stan urged. She shook her head to recollect herself. "Yeah! Anyway… we went out, right? Out of nowhere, this other demon comes in, but I'm swallowed by this creature named Steve, and Bill is about to explode while unconscious!"

She gesticulated wildly for emphasis. Her family only gave her looks of disbelief. Nevertheless, she continued, "But I saved him with a kiss, and now I'm here!"

There was a moment of pregnant silence. Dipper pinched his nose bridge, "I honestly can't tell if you're exaggerating or not."

"You _kissed_ him?!" Ford gagged, eliciting retches from the other two males. Together, they shared their disgust by taking turns. Mabel glowered, utterly vexed. The scientist hastily patted his pockets, "Oh, no, now I have to fix you a new mouth!"

Mabel gasped and covered her lips as Ford took out a tape measure. Stan glared at his twin, "Idiot, don't be so dramatic!"

She sighed with relief.

"We'll just have to disown her and offer her to the woods."

Mabel released a small yelp of fright. It was Dipper's turn to scowl, "Let her go again? Just bind her to the house."

"And here I thought you'd be on my side!"

"Oh, come on, I had to join in."

"Ugh! What's wrong with me having my first kiss?!" Bad question.

"You're too young!" Ford cried.

"No one will ever be worthy!" Stan avowed.

"It's just weird." Dipper grimaced. "And did it even count if he's not conscious?"

"Uh…" Mabel hesitated. Her brother inquired, "Does he even know?"

She shrugged uncertainly, "Aha, probably not?"

Stan punched his fist in his palm; his brass knuckles gleaming. He narrowed his eyes. "And he'll never find out."

"Excellent, a witch hunt! Dipper, you can tag along." Ford stood up with a bounce, "I'll go start up the car."

" _Nooo!_ No!" Mabel pointed at the scientist, "Sit!"

"But—"

"I said sit!"

Ford sat down. Mabel asked them, "Do we really have to go through this every time something happens between me and Bill?"

"Absolutely!" Ford told her. "Look, dear, you wanna have your freedom? You can, because we trust you. However, we get to have ours, and we'll say what we think."

"But it's really up to you." Stan finished. Mabel looked between the two of them, her expression touched. Dipper watched the exchange with interest, astonished that they were so understanding. That last talk that they had with Mabel must have really stuck to them. He was glad, since any tension or distrust would have been a huge issue. Then, Stan pointed out, "Back to your story, another demon came?"

"Yes."

"But Steve kept you out of sight?" Ford followed up. Mabel nodded again, "Yes. He also told me that Bill made him protect me."

"Who's Steve?" Dipper brought up. Ford clarified, "This mythical being that advocates for the trees. Just another forest guardian, if you will."

"Well, what I still don't get is why you were out cold." Stan said, eyeing her for the answer. Mabel hummed in thought. "I saved him with a kiss, so maybe I poured more of my power into it than I had meant to? I don't know how to control it yet, remember?"

"Oh, yeah, that's the other thing…" Stan pressed his hands together. "You'll be training as soon as possible!"

"What?! So soon...?" Mabel said, blinking. Rising emotions conflicted with each other. "Right; that'll be, um, fun!"

"Yes, it's imperative that you begin learning! I'll have to speak to Pacifica with my working days so that I'll have time. And then Stanley will teach you the more basic stages of fighting." Ford checked his watch, then slapped his forehead. "It's getting late. I need to cook!"

He exited the room. Stan walked over to Mabel and pulled her head against his chest, "We're just happy that you're okay, kid."

Mabel smiled as he left. Dipper beamed, "Isn't that great? You'll learn how to be able to fend for yourself here while I'm doing other work in weird places."

He immediately frowned. "Oh, shoot, I forgot I have to check out my notes for the next monthly meeting. And I left them at the academy, too! I'll be back!"

Mabel watched him leave with a doleful smile.

"And I'll be here."

* * *

 _The world was bright and colorful, almost blinding. Loud, synthesized music played in the background, sending vibrations throughout the strange, neon city. To anyone else, this would be a special type of torture, but not for Mabel._

" _So I said, 'What's to think about? It's a dog with his leg in the toilet, Grandma!'" There was a burst of laughter from the girl herself and two handsome male teens with obnoxious hair. Xyler high fived her. "Right on, Mabel!"_

 _A penguin waiter handed her an open coconut with Mabel juice inside, topped with a swirly straw. She lifted the beverage in the air. "Cheers!"_

" _Cheers to our supreme ruler!" Craz announced. Xyler added, "Just the coolest!"_

" _Oh, you two." She blushed and looked away in a bashful manner. A waffle guard caught her eye as it walked up to them. With a gruff voice, it reported, "There seems to be a disturbance in the force."_

" _I'll deal with it." Mabel hopped off the convertible and into the path that had paved itself. Wandering for just a second, she came across her fun park. There was someone standing by the river where she usually went to skip rocks. She gasped, recognizing him instantly._

" _Bill! Hey, over here!" Mabel called, sliding down the grassy hill to his level. Despite being in a dream, she could still feel an embarrassed heat engulf her body. The feel of her lips on his…_

 _A bubble floated past her face, playing the very memory she was thinking of. With a yelp, Mabel popped it with a clap._

" _Shooting Star?" Bill turned around to face her. "What are you doing here?"_

" _What am I doing here?" She easily regained her composure. Mabel placed one hand on her hips, using the other to showcase her surroundings. "This is my dream. What are you doing here?"_

 _Bill felt a wave of understanding overcome him. He looked around. "Is it? It looks like yours."_

" _Yeah, check it out!" She hummed while bringing her hands together, before letting out a shout. Showing her hands, tiny birds wearing cheap hats were dancing in her palms. Bill appeared unimpressed. She grimaced. "Don't like birds? Okay, how's this!"_

 _She twisted her hips and thrusted her hand forward, sending a cute cat head in his direction. Its fluffy head and little tongue sticking out received no remorse as Bill parried it with a slap of his hand. He looked at it on the ground and cringed. "It's horrendous."_

" _Note to self: use kitten heads against Bill." Mabel spoke into a bubblegum pink voice recorder. He rolled his eye. After stretching her arms out, she snuggled comfortably into the stiff plastic of her large heel. "So what brings you into Mabel land?"_

" _Mabel land?" Bill inquired, "You call your dreamscape 'Mabel land'?"_

" _Uh, yeah!" Mabel grabbed an abnormally shaped banana from a silver platter that was held up for her. She inspected it by tossing and turning it in her hands. Waving one hand, she said, "That'll be all, Alfred. Thanks."_

 _The penguin chirped and waddled away. Bill watched as it crossed over to him, showcasing the tray of fruit. He glared at the imaginary animal until it disappeared into nothing. He brought his attention back to Mabel at the sound of her giggles._

 _Squeezing the fruit, glitter burst from the tip, filling the air with its fruity scent. She sighed as she flung the peel behind her. "So, what do you call yours?"_

" _I haven't had a dream in 120 years."_

 _Mabel paused in her caressing of dream-Waddles to stare at him. Then, with another stroke, she commented, "That's… sad."_

 _Bill didn't respond. With a wave of his hand, he cleared her mind of its randomness. She plopped onto her behind and gave a look of bewilderment. "Whoa! Dream powers!"_

 _Mabel stood up and tilted her head. "But why'd you clear it out?"_

 _He breathed out steadily. "I hate standing defeated."_

" _Okay, well, I feel like that has nothing to do with my dream world." Mabel curled her finger against her chin. "Or, at least, I hope not."_

 _She saw him giving her an expression that she couldn't quite identify. A pang of fear struck her heart; fear for him. Mabel mustered up a smile._

" _Bill?"_

 _He waited. "What?"_

" _Are you leaving again?"_

" _I'll—" He cleared his throat. "I'll… be back."_

 _The half-hearted promise was painful in her ears._

 _Without thinking, she launched herself towards him, wanting to bring him in for an embrace. Before her hands could reach him, he was gone. And she was waking up._

* * *

It was a cozy weekend afternoon. The fireplace emanated warmth throughout the shack.

Two brunette twins were sitting on the floorboards of their room, one male and one female. He was scribbling down a report from a recent mission, and the other had a book filled with pictures in her hands. She was laying across his stretched out legs as he used her back as a surface to place his own book down to write out his work. The atmosphere was quite serene, and it was moments like these that she deeply favored since her brother seemed to be busy most days to hang out with her. However, she was distracted, mulling over her thoughts as her brother went off about tittle-tattle.

"It felt like he was gonna follow me all the way back to Oregon! And so this guy, wearing, like, three sweaters, but sporting sporty shorts for sports—" Dipper paused and thought for a second, before shaking his head, "English, I swear. Anyway, he tries to challenge me to some tennis match, and I'm like—"

He stops talking again after taking another look at his twin. She was casually flipping through the completed pages of her scrapbook. Although, there was something very obviously wrong. To confirm his doubts, Dipper waited for her to react to one picture he knew she loved to laugh at, but it never came. He recoiled when she even had the guts to only glance at it!

Pointing a pen at her, he accused, "Who are you and what have you done to my sister?"

Mabel seemed to have become aware of herself. She eyed the writing utensil in his hand, then snorted. "I'm so scared. Please, don't write on me."

"They say the pen is mightier than the sword." Dipper claimed defensively. She chuckled softly again, prompting him to drop his pen with an unconvinced look. He scanned her skeptically, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Mabel wasn't looking at her scrapbook anymore. She tapped the pages in an incessant demeanor.

"You're such a bad liar."

"Everyone tells me." Mabel pouted childishly. Dipper chuckled. "Really, though, what's up?"

"I… had a dream."

"Was Bill in it?"

"Would it be weird if he wasn't?"

"Yes."

"You are so judgy."

"Napapap!" He blurted with his hand up. Taking a notepad and pen in hand, he signaled, "Keep going with your story."

"Alright," She turned on her back and faced the ceiling with her hands on her stomach, "so it all started when I was chatting with Xyler and Craz."

"Those unrealistic boys from that overrated, cliche movie?"

She corrected irritably. "Dream Boy High!"

"Yeah, that."

" _Then_ ," She resumed, "I was told that something was ruining my awesome vibes, so I went to go check it out."

 _Scritch, scritch,_ went his pen. "And this is where Bill comes in?"

"Yes, it is! And he wiped away Mabel land like this!" She copied Bill's aforementioned movement. "I already asked him what he was even doing in my dream, but he didn't answer."

 _Scritch, scritch, scritch._ "Did he say anything at all?"

"Yeah, he said…" Mabel recalled softly, "that he'd be back? But never really said from what. I just felt scared for him."

"Uh huh." Dipper jotted down a few more notes, before pulling back with both hands on the notepad and an enlightened expression. "Okay, so here's what I think: He may have entered your dream on accident, but in search of your comfort. Then probably realized that was dumb and ran away like a coward."

"Dipper!"

"What? I'm serious. Besides that, it seems like he's gonna do something horrifically dangerous all by himself, knowing that he may not survive."

Mabel buried him with her stare. She denied, "That's not possible. He's immortal!"

"Oh, right…" Dipper nibbled his pen, "but then again—it's kind of hard to explain—something changed about him ever since yesterday."

"You think he could just turn un-immortal?"

"Well, as Soos once told me," Dipper said wisely, "'Anthyding can hadplen.'"

"And knowing he could go and die makes me feel better?"

"It works for me."

"Oh right, you'd understand his cause," Mabel muttered. Dipper questioned, "What'd you say?"

"I'm just worried, bro-bro," She replied instead, rubbing her cheeks in circles, "everything seems to be moving forward, and I can't help but feel like I'm the only one that's being held back. Now, it is my turn, and I'm—I'm terrified."

"Well, that's," Dipper scrambled for words in his head, "nothing to be ashamed of."

She glanced at him curiously, so he felt the need to elaborate. "Everyone's afraid of something. You're just afraid of growing up."

"With these powers, I have no choice," She stuck her hands in front of her, "and what if I wanted to be a fashion designer or something?"

"Did you?"

She admitted, "I never really gave much thought to the future."

"Whatever that might look like," He placed down the notepad, "we can face it together."

Mabel felt her eyes glossing over, causing her to look away from her brother.

"Bill gets to go out and see the world. He can take care of himself. He can go to places where I can't follow. What if… what if, one day, he doesn't return?"

"Mabel…"

"He knows stuff, and he thinks he can take everything on by himself. But doesn't he get that I'm also here? I can… I can cheer! I can make supportive sweaters! I…"

She trailed off. Dipper tapped his thumbs together.

"...You're also talking about me, too, aren't you?" He stated quietly.

"I watched you, Dipper." Mabel slumped deeper in between his legs, "For a long time, I thought the reason mom and dad started teaching you, and not me, was because you were—I don't know—better than me?"

"W-What?" He awkwardly chuckled. She tried, but couldn't do the same.

"You were so great at learning and taking stands… and being smart and… and…"

She gripped her sweater, "...I'm not."

Dipper blinked. He choked out another laugh, holding his hand to his forehead. "This is… really ironic."

She frowned. "Why?"

"I'm gonna sound like a real prick, but…" Dipper shrugged his shoulders and gave her an unsure smile, "to be honest, I was feeling pretty jealous of you, too."

Mabel stared at him. "Wow, that is ironic."

"I know, right?" He shook his head fondly. "I thought that you were just luckier than me. Having this _amazing_ power while I had to work with mine. I don't even feel like I've done enough sometimes."

"You think it's amazing?" She pondered with furrowed eyebrows, "It's pretty frustrating. A new part of me that I can't understand or control yet."

"Oh, geez," Dipper beckoned with one hand, "C'mere, oh sister of mine. Just because you like to hang out with a pessimist, doesn't mean you have to be one."

"You're so awkward." She sniffed, but going in for the weird embrace anyway. After simultaneously patting each other, she mentioned, "You smell like lavender."

"And you smell like lies!" Dipper deflected instantly, parting from the hug to inspect her. She only scrutinized him back, "Uh huh, sure…"

They chuckled, feeling the tension roll from their shoulders in waves. He grinned a little.

"You…" Dipper promised, "You'll get there, with our help."

"I want to." She gave a firm nod. "Then, I'll be able to help. And, maybe, I won't be knocked unconscious anymore."

He snorted, "We're just gonna train you, not create miracles."

"Not funny!" She jabbed his arm. "Try being out cold more than once! It's not as fun as you'd think!"

"You mean sleeping? 'Cause I like sleeping."

"No!"

"Yeesh, I got you!" Dipper held his hands up in mock surrender. "Well, if it was anything like that time Leaderaur gave to me, then I'd rather not repeat that."

"Yeah," Mabel reminisced with an odd look, "me neither…"

There was something in her heart, something gnawing it greedily. Something that left her nothing but her tingling nerves. Something that she couldn't ignore and was forced to feel. Something foreboding.

That something did not originate from Earth. It would take place in the Nightmare Realm.

Where the world was empty of any sentience. Where the chaos had seemed to be dead for the time being, and the demons and monsters were far from a specific spot. It was as if something shifted in their minds and in the air that made them want to avoid this upcoming battle, yet they tasted excitement and fear all the same. Times were changing, and soon the life forces of both worlds would know that their realities wouldn't be the same.

Adrian leaned over the crumbling balcony, enjoying the still air. His violet eyes roamed over nothingness, yet they still held twinkling amusement. The sound of an approaching figure hadn't stirred him. He was in his own world, literally and figuratively. It was only after a few moments of extensive silence, he decided to stop ignoring his esteemed guest.

"You're alive. How am I not surprised?" Adrian didn't turn around. "Have you grown taller?"

An intense and vibrant flame licked his hand while he was forced to step away from the now destroyed railing. A malicious grin spread across his lips. The skin of his hand was heated with pain.

It _hurt_. He hadn't felt any sort of pain for 120 years.

"I'd forgotten that your flames possessed such rawness when it's unrestrained."

Adrian pressed his back against the remains of the rusted metal. He eyed the visitor with ominous interest. The world was dull, silently existing for the two of them to stand on. There was no surrounding creatures to interrupt their confrontation. Nothing to indicate the passing of time. There was only them and the dark palace.

"Welcome home," He said in a smooth, deep voice, "Your Royal Highness."

Bill flicked his wrist, causing his hand to light aflame. "You've taken what's _mine_."

"So I did." Adrian casually dragged his index finger along the rust, bringing it up to inspect it closely. He rubbed his thumb against the tainted specks and watched as it sprinkled to his feet. "It was fun while it lasted. But I think I'm ready for my next course."

Adrian fluidly leaped to the barren ground, enjoying the cloud of smoke from the balcony while it fell into pieces. Bill was floating high, sticking his nose up to look down at the violet demon.

"You won't be getting anything!" The blonde snarled. Adrian shoved his hands into his pockets. "Still pathetic, my dear prince. It was quite entertaining to watch you act as a demon for the time being."

Bill seethed. "You've made a fool out of me…"

"You're a fool in itself."

"You're a _fool_ to have challenged me."

"Is that so?" Adrian appeared unimpressed. "I remember our first fight, and our last one… It must've worsened you."

"One against all was a fight to you?" Bill lowered himself. Adrian smiled. "Not my fault that no one liked you."

He looked at him with pity. "Such a shame, such a waste. Always having to fend for yourself."

Bill felt his feet touch the ground, keeping his eye trained on the ground. Adrian strolled over and faced him without hesitation. "It's been too long that this battle has been going on. Wouldn't you you agree?"

Adrian circled him, stealthily, carefully. Like a predator surrounding its prey. "Do you understand now? Against me, you will never win."

He stopped behind him and gradually extended his hand.

"Although, together…" Adrian's smile widened, "it'll be worthwhile."

Bill turned around, his eye focusing on the hand, before it drifted to his face. His hand grazed the one held out for him, and a sullen look overtook his face. Bill affirmed, "I don't like sharing."

Adrian recoiled, his hand throbbing painfully. He had jumped backwards and stood at a couple of feet away. Bill spread his feet and positioned one hand in front with the other behind. After a short recovery, Adrian only grinned at the blonde.

"Your tenacity is enjoyable."

Bill gritted his teeth. Twisting his hips, he threw back his forward arm and extended the other outwards. A glorious, mighty flame of blue and yellow lit up the desolate reality. Its ferocious roar fanned out across the dullness. As it died out, Bill had already realized Adrian had disappeared from his spot. He spun around while kicking, sending out a wide arc of fire. It collided with a ball of purple flames, with both of them dissipating.

A long inferno targeted Bill, in which he swiftly clapped his hands together, before extending them outwards on each side. His flames dissolved the other, and the lingering flecks of heat swirled in the air. Not another moment passed as Bill sent another wave of fire, with Adrian to react with equal ruthlessness. Their clashing colors would temporarily light up the darkness, where it would fade out as if nothing took place.

Adrian flew straight at him, pumping his arms to send a flurry of fireballs. Bill managed to evade direct hits as he focused on closing the distance. Suddenly, another blast knocked him off his feet and farther than he previously was. The flames licked at his skin and consumed his vest, so he threw the clothing off of him.

With two steps forward, Bill had enough time to teleport behind the dark overlord. He aimed a punch for his head, but Adrian bent over before it could connect. Planting both hands on the ground, his leg shot up and bashed him right in his chin. The blonde tasted blood on his tongue, yet he didn't waste a moment. Landing on his back, his legs kicked out and sent another bellowing blaze. He forced himself onto his feet and pounced Adrian before he could retaliate.

It was a blurry mess of punches and kicks from yellow and just a speeding image of violet. Adrian's never-ending smile was engraved in his mind, mocking him now as it had been doing since forever ago. Bill let out a battle cry and went for another jab, but his arm was caught in a tight grip. Before he knew it, his face was kissing the ground and his chest was grinding against rocks. A shoe was pressing his bare back, holding him down. His tophat rolled away from his grasp, where the demon turned it into ash.

"Things will never change." Adrian whispered in the abrupt quietness. "Why don't you go run off and hide again?"

Flexing his fingers, his palm shot out scorching fire. Bill's agonized yell could barely be heard over the constant flames eating his skin. Squeezing his eye, images passed through his mind within just a few seconds.

People he had once loved and cared about—

— _they're dead._

His kingdom was lively and thriving—

— _it's gone._

There was _no one else—_

— _ **except her.**_

With newfound energy, Bill seized Adrian's leg that was on the ground. The violet demon's eyes widened as he was harshly flung elsewhere. He skidded across the ground on his feet and scanned the area.

Bill had fled, yet again. Adrian only smirked.

* * *

Mabel awoke with a type of grogginess that no one should suffer through. One where it sought more sleep, yet sleep had been the cause of discomfort. Where her eyes hurt from being closed for too long, but her body was not in the mood for moving. Rolling, her feet landed on the floor. She dragged herself to the bathroom and did her business. One look in the mirror had her glowering. Her hair was an absolute mess of tangles, there was drool sticking to her face, and she looked ready for the afterlife.

Turning the faucet on, she ducked her head underneath the cold water. Instantly, her mind felt rejuvenated, if only slightly. She patted her face dry with a fluffy towel, then fingered her tresses.

Eating spoonfuls of cereal, Mabel combed her hair with the other hand while reading the box for its silly games. After another half an hour, she no longer looked suited for death.

Waddles sprung around, enthusiastic about his morning walk. Sadly, Mabel could only match a third of her pig's energy. They strolled around the forest, and she reveled in the quiet morning. The air was calm and cold, only broken by the jolly chirping of birds. There was the occasional rustling of leaves and calls of woodland creatures, yet nothing made her walk harrowing.

Without warning, her pig busted into a sprint.

"Gah! Waddles!" Mabel followed in pursuit of her bounding animal companion. Her surroundings were a blur as she refused to let up. Every plant, every creature, every rock and speck of dirt watched her chase after her pig. She could feel multiple muscles in her body straining itself to keep up. The cold air entered and exited her lungs without pause.

And then, he stopped right outside of a clearing, sitting down on his bottom. Looking up at her expectantly, there was a gleeful glint in his beady eyes. However, as soon as she had caught up, Mabel planted her hands on her knees and bent over, gasping for air. She didn't even know how long and how far they had ran.

"Waddles…" Mabel paused to catch her breath, "what the heck…?"

He only oinked, clearly pleased. She mustered up an annoyed look to give her pig, but his adorable face was too much to handle. Mabel frowned, unable to stay truly mad. "You really _are_ my pig."

She could finally breathe normally again, so she stood up straighter and looked ahead. Her eyes widened at the sight.

The area was a sweep of something nostalgic. Young, tiny saplings sprouted in random spots from the ground. The grass was a bright, healthy viridian, cut short and evenly. The grey, rolling clouds were a great contrast to the scenery. It was quite open-spaced, if compared to the rest of the densely compacted woods. In all, it was a significant replay of one of her favorite memories, but… brighter.

Except, there was a single, fully-grown tree in the midst. And, like a sore thumb, underneath that tree—

—was Bill.

She was a rubber band snapped back into place. The sight of him blew the wind out of her as time seemed to slow down. He appeared to be normal—healthy, in fact. Although, his clothes had taken a new turn. Still wearing a white button-up, a sleek, black vest was fastened over the shirt. This time, he also had an open yellow blazer with two coattails. His tophat appeared to be fresh with its stiffness. He hadn't replaced his black gloves or bowtie.

Bill had taken his focus off of Waddles to return her stare. The pig kept bolting back and forth keenly, oblivious to the tense atmosphere.

Bill began, "Shooting Star—"

But he couldn't say anything else, for he was soon on his back, and she was straddling his waist. He yelped, "Ouch, what are you doing?!"

His eye widened. Although shadowed, her expression was earnest, full of warmth and concern. Her hands on his chest kept him down, yet he didn't find the desire to move. Raising her hand slowly, he watched as it descended as fast as a bullet—

"Ow!" Bill cried out angrily, holding his forehead, "What the hell?!"

"Are you dumb?!" Her expression was _definitely_ no longer gentle. "Going off to fight after almost dying?! Being away for, like, six days?!"

He furrowed his eyebrows and blew air from his mouth. "There was a fight? Wasn't invited."

"Liar!" She pinched his cheeks and stretched them out, "What else would you be doing?! Baking a cake? Going to the gym? We both know you don't exactly have hobbies, Bill!"

"Okay! Okayokayokay—Shooting—gah!" He swatted her hands that were on his face, which was useless. Thinking swiftly, his hands caught hers and he sat up straight, rendering them both unable to move. He declared, "You are a deadly little thing."

She hissed like a snake. Bill growled, "If you'd let me explain, I will."

"Everything…?" Mabel eyed him with a vindictive glint.

"Hmph, if that's what you really want."

Her entire expression lit up. "Really?"

"Yes." He deadpanned. Hopping off of him, she danced triumphantly, "Yay! Score one for Mabel!"

"Come on, Dancy-pants," Bill tugged on her hand. "Speaking takes a lot of effort. I'll just show you."

They sat down on the grass, cross-legged and in front of each other. He held on to both of her hands and breathed out, "Keep your eyes on me."

She nodded numbly. Within seconds, gray exploded from behind Bill and crawled all over their surroundings. The world became still, silent, and every creature had become frozen in their place, whether on land or in the air. All was monochromatic, except for Bill and Mabel.

He released his grip, allowing her to roam freely. "Wow, what is this?"

He stated simply. "This is my dreamscape."

"We're asleep?" She asked, surprised. He shrugged, "Well, that's how you have true dreams, right?"

Bill stood up and began walking towards another route. Mabel ambled up next to him as she surveyed the area. "Why is it so gray?"

"Having the abilities pertaining to the mind needs me to have a clear one." He signaled to the dullness. "Which leads to this."

"Huh, no wonder you're so… uh, you," Mabel concluded, "You have nowhere to keep your weirdness!"

He manifested a buzzer in his hand and pressed it. The sound rang out in the tranquility. "Wrong. That's just how I work, Shooting Star."

Mabel huffed, glaring playfully as he only regarded her with a sideways smirk. With the buzzer now gone, they kept a contented pace through the inanimate forest. There was a glaring illumination past the boundary of the woods. Shielding her eyes, she waited until it became adjusted to the sight. She halted in place, gawking at the massive building in front of her.

The castle was grand and gorgeous, built from pure, white bricks and draped with golden cloths. Flags were unmoving, but still stood proudly atop the peaks of several gable roofs that were made of smoky shingles. Massive, wooden doors, guarded by a steel grate that was equal in size, separated them from the inside of the structure. Peeking behind her, she identified the barbican, but couldn't see any farther than the stone defense.

"Am I in a fairytale movie?"

"In your dreams, maybe. Not mine."

He rose his hand towards the door, then pulled it towards himself. The grinding of metal reeled back the steel fortification, then the double doors opened inwards. Bill led the way inside. The vast room possessed a magnificent and powerful aura, with all the ornate designs and decor around screaming to be noticed. Far ahead of them, two thrones made of gold were sitting, untouched. Mabel sighed dreamily, "It must be great living here. This is my kind of house!"

Bill inhaled and took in the somber calmness of it all. "It was."

"Oh, this is where you lived for a while?"

"Yep," Bill sauntered down a particularly extensive hall, "and if I recall, the first door to be opened should be… here!"

He twisted the knob and swung it wide open. He pushed Mabel inside, before closing it behind himself. She was slack-jawed, in disbelief of how medieval everything seemed. Most buildings were created from wood and topped with wooden roofs. The more important establishments were made of stone. People were wearing super old and bizarre clothing and selling unusual things like pitchforks and torches on the side. Kids without shoes ran through the streets, chasing after a rat that most likely carried illness. It was an image of fresh history.

Childlike laughter retrieved her attention, allowing her to see the rat scurry between her legs with young ones still blindly after it. She yelped, bracing herself for impact. Yet, they only phased through her, eliciting a shudder to rack her body.

"Now, _that_ was _weird_."

He stated, "I don't want to disrupt the memory, so I made us invisible."

"And now it's cool!" Mabel snickered while moving her hand back and forth inside the stomach of an unsuspecting man. Suddenly, she heard another voice, one that she recognized all too well. A high-pitched shriek of elation that was reserved just for Bill had pierced his ears, and they were still ringing. He let out a string of curses, albeit she paid him no mind.

"When you said you'd explain everything, I didn't know you'd go this far back!"

"You wanna leave?"

"NO!"

Bill flinched at the volume and barked, "Keep that mouth under a lock!"

She shushed him by cupping his mouth. "You're about to speak!"

He complained inwardly at the fact he had been silenced unjustly, and that he was the same person as the one that was about to talk. Annoyed, he removed her hands from his face and huffed.

"Come on! What'll it be?" A young boy, perhaps around the age of ten, had a dirty, brown cloak tied with a thin rope around his neck. A tattered top hat with an ugly colored ribbon tied around its base fit snugly on his head. "Double or nothing. Just give me another shot!"

"Fine. Double the stakes," The gruff older man pointed a dagger between the young boy's eyes, "and I'll make sure ya don't pull any tricks."

"As you wish." The boy permitted. He maundered in front of the blatant threat and voiced his thoughts, "Okay, so I'm gonna take a second this time. Here's what I'm thinking: Cows are too chewy, pigs taste like oil, and all that's left is chicken. So, if I were to guess your favorite type of meat is, it would be…"

Waiting for the boy to guess, the man grinned sadistically.

"...duck, since you like the fats!"

Mabel was taken aback. "What?!"

The man was quite also incredulous, stabbing the dagger in a wooden post beside him. " _What?!_ "

"What's to what? You like duck."

"You wouldn't know that!"

"It's called a lucky guess, sir." The young boy smirked. "I believe we had a deal."

"You filthy cheater!" The man proclaimed, waving his weapon around menacingly. This caused many bystanders to pause their daily lives to observe. The young boy grinned, "You're gonna stab me?"

"Oh, I'll—" He choked on his tongue, finally seeing the suspicious eyes and hearing the anticipation. The boy shrugged and lifted his cloak to reveal rags for clothes. "Feel free to check me. It's the least I can do for your poor soul."

With a new, tiny bag of coins in his hands, the boy watched the old grouch stomp away furiously. He stuck his muddy fingers into the sack and let the tinkling of the money boost his ego.

"Oh, my gosh! You're just so adorable! And can you believe it?! Two eyes!" She squealed, thrilled. "I'd hug little you if I wasn't phasing through people!"

"You'd probably break my neck."

"Only out of love."

Mabel felt her breath hitch at the slip of her tongue. Bill only eyed her curiously, not understanding the sudden silence. Desperate to veer his attention, she pointed frantically at his past self. "Look, there he goes!"

Mabel and Bill followed after him, which lead them to the same castle they had been in prior. She observed as the young Bill sneakily floated back inside the citadel. A frown marred her face. "You're gonna get those poor guards fired."

No one paid any mind to them as they moseyed up to the door. Mabel held onto his hand as he teleported them inside. He looked down at their interlocked hands. "You can let go now."

"Hmm," Mabel beamed, "no. You've been gone for a while, and I haven't been able to hold your hand."

"Why do I even bother sometimes?" Bill grumbled, "Also, this happened too long ago for you to care about the guards."

"Oh, yeah? How long?"

Bill stared ahead.

"It was… thousands and thousands of years ago…"

Mabel shouted, "You're _old!_ "

"Shut up, or they'll hear us!"

"What?!" Mabel backed up against Bill and spotted a nearby guard, who was calmly picking his nose. She puffed her cheeks, "You tricked me!"

He cackled. "Oh, it's always funny."

Mabel huffed and looked elsewhere. Her eyes roamed over the tapestries with a single eye in a triangle. Now that she thought about it, she had seen that symbol in a lot of places: the streets, on the guards, on the flags. She noticed two figures sitting in the thrones. The man with the stunning crown, wearing a floor-length robe from velvet, exerted a confident aura. The woman sitting beside him was beautiful in her own right, possessing her own crown, albeit not as large. She gawked, "Wow, they're super good-looking! They'd make a hot son."

Mabel drooled at the thought, then realized she was standing next to the object of her affections. She waited for a response, but received none. Checking what had Bill mute, she was met face-to-face with an impossibly colossal smirk. She blushed, "What?"

" _They_ are my parents." Bill flipped his hair, "You know what that makes me?"

Mabel gasped sharply and yanked his arm. "You're a _prince?!_ "

He was still grinning. "A _good-looking_ prince."

Her face was beet-red. "That's not fair! I didn't know!"

"Too late. You think I'm hot!" He pulled out a gray tape recorder from behind his back and wiggled it tauntingly. With an evil guffaw, Bill waved his hand back and forth as she tried to snatch it. She gave up and tackled him down, hoping that it would give her an advantage. Unfortunately, it did not.

"Your Majesty!" A fancy guard sprinted inside with a distressed expression. He bowed while relaying his message. Mabel paused in her thrashing to watch the scene unfold before her. "There's been another attack in the Eastern Woods. The gnomes are requesting for assistance."

The King's voice directed, "Send in the troops."

The guard nodded, and quickly left the castle. The Queen subtly slumped in her chair. She whispered to her husband, but Mabel and Bill could still hear them. "It's the same man, isn't it?"

"He's already taken hundreds of thousands of lives, absorbed their souls for his own disgusting, greedy needs. He'll become an ultimate wielder of darkness soon enough. We must formulate a strategy to stop him."

Bill jerked her onto her feet and tugged on her hand, indicating that they use the way out that the guard used. Mabel made no fuss, but as she neared the exit, her ears picked up the soft voice of the Queen.

"When will this end?"

The doors shut behind them with a bang. Mabel realized that they had arrived back at the vacant dreamscape castle. She looked at the blonde, "Who's attacking?"

Bill didn't offer an answer. He secured his hold on her as he strode towards another door. They entered, and this time, he didn't release her. Although confused, she didn't think much of it, and realized the setting they were in.

The grand, gorgeous castle was _burning_.

Mabel was surrounded by fire, engulfed with smoke, yet she didn't feel the effects. Nonetheless, her breath was stuck in her throat, and she couldn't move. Her eyes reflected the violet flames in front of them, for she couldn't look away. She teared up, perhaps for the fall of the awe-inspiring building, or for the lack of screams and life. Mabel spoke towards the howl of the fire, "Why?"

Bill felt nothing, and he chose not to say anything. Hand in hand, they stood by and gazed upon the destruction.

A silhouette crawled from underneath the blaze. Twelve-year-old Bill Cipher rested on his knees, coughing into his arm. He took one look at the demolition behind him and clawed the ground as tears stung his eyes. Another figure appeared before him, one with royal clothes and a wonderful crown that did not belong to him. Violet eyes looked down at the tormented child.

Mabel squeezed Bill's hand and held her other hand to her mouth. "No…"

The kid had tears rolling down his face. "You _monster!_ J-Just _**kill**_ _me!_ "

The demon carefully held the crown in his hand, and melted it into liquid gold. It seeped through the gaps between his fingers and dripped onto the ground. It seemed as though hours went on until his palms were vacant of any speck. The puddle of vibrant metal laid on the surface, worthless and deformed.

The demon's mouth moved, the low murmuring reached their ears. It was something foreign, something baleful, to Mabel. It was a familiar, horrid curse, to Bill. The demon raised one hand towards the sky, and ghostly chains shot from the ground to ensnare the boy. His other hand radiated with a scintillating purple glow, poised to strike.

"This is _my_ world now," The demon claimed, "and you'll spend the rest of eternity watching it _burn_."

Mabel emitted a tiny cry at the sound of young Bill's agonized scream. She had turned away and buried herself into the arm she was holding on to, unable to bear the sight. Her own tears were uncontrollable, streaming like thin rivers. Bill teleported them out of the memory and kneeled down. Mabel was still crying into his sleeve, and he let her. He provided nothing like a comforting rub on her back, or sweet, hushed reassurance. He only let her relieve herself of her sympathy for him.

After a few minutes, she withdrew herself and dried her eyes.

"Sorry."

"It's just a dream shirt."

Her lips drooped downwards, and he brought them both onto their feet. He voiced in a benevolent tone, "There's still more I wanted to show you, but if you can't take it, then—"

"No!" Mabel shook her head defiantly. "I want to see how this turns out."

Bill warned, "It's not a happy turn of events."

"It's okay." Mabel intertwined their fingers, "After everything that may have happened, you're still here."

Bill rolled his eye at her stubbornness and turned around, yet a minute smile still formed on his lips. Opening another door, they hopped inside.

The world was gradually fading, yet at a rate that would still take centuries. Trees were beginning to die off, and species of mythical creatures were becoming extinct. Misery was taking over the ambience of the once wonderful reality.

There was a line of fauns traveling through the forest, monitored by terrifying monsters. They were connected by the chains around their ankles and their wrists. Their hooves created marks in the dirt as they dragged it forward. Their pointed ears were dangling with melancholy.

Out of the blue, cloaked figures popped out from the cover of the remaining forest. They summoned various weapons in their hands and hastily went to eliminate the hideous monsters. Although a tad sloppy, they succeeded in the end. Freeing the fauns, they beckoned the creatures to follow them. Mabel and Bill were hot on their trail.

They found themselves at a portal, swirling with blue energy and displaying the world on the other side. The figure at the front signaled, "Swiftly, before it closes!"

Everyone made their way through, and right after, the portal blinked into non-existence. This reality seemed much more pleasant, without the looming peril of capture or death. They were in the center of a camp, where ragged tents were pitched up and a bonfire took place nearby. A few humans were stationed, but it was mostly mythical creatures such as fairies and manotaurs. One cloaked figure stepped up to greet the newcomers.

"I see you were able to bring in more," Bill Cipher removed his hood, revealing his boyish face. After a millennium, he had not changed in the slightest, whether it be stature or facial looks. Underneath his ragged cloak, he was wearing a tunic of white silk, tied together with a golden, skinny rope. "Get them cleaned up."

"Yes, sire."

"Thank you for rescuing us!" One faun had said. Bill merely glanced at him. "Think nothing of it. I won't have a kingdom to rule if you're all dead."

He stalked away elsewhere. Mabel folded her arms and sang out, "Cold-blooded."

Bill scoffed at her, but showed no signs of antipathy.

"Do not fret; Your Highness is quite the puzzle." A human had placed his hand on the crestfallen faun. "I, too, had been often sad in his presence when I was first recruited."

"Who're you?"

"My name's Joshua, and I'm a Soul Fighter!" He extended his fist, the sleeve of his tunic flying forward. The faun looked at him with bewilderment, "A what?"

"Okay, so the name we made is pretty new, and we're still working with it. Anyway, I fight with my soul weapon to save folks like you." Joshua pointed at a few other humans, "That's Rosalind, Alfhard, Chet, Marina, Zahra…"

"Wait, where are we?" The faun interrupted. Joshua cocked his head slightly, "Well, we're on Earth!"

"Earth…?"

"Yep, Your Highness decided to use our world as refuge for the creatures of your world." Joshua nudged him, "Our world is quite the charm, but beware of the edge."

"Your world has an edge?"

"Yes, it's flat. The water flows off and into the dark abyss."

The faun stared at him with alarm. Joshua pointed his thumb behind him, "Also, there's a lake over there for you guys to wash up."

The faun's ears sprung up, "Oh, water!"

The viewing pair went to follow them to the lake. Joshua looked at the faun with compassion, "It must be tough over there, huh?"

The faun sighed, "It's a nightmare."

"Yeah, well, Your Highness doesn't tend to tell us many details, so, could you…?"

Another human plopped next to them, her questioning gaze was bluntly put. She placed a hand on her cheek and leaned in, "Is there still more of you left in the Northern Woods? We'll need as much information as we can get."

"Oh, yes, there's still many of us. We try our best to hide and use the terrain to our advantage. However, they're quickly clearing it out, wiping our coverages off the map." The faun generated ripples that eventually dwindled into still water. He remembered what he had experienced. "They took our friends and family of all species and imprisoned them. Then, they're used as slaves… or stocked as food. Those who try to fight back only perish without hesitation."

"That's horrible…" She quietly said. Suddenly, a mermaid broke through the surface, splashing all three. She flicked her tail behind her and tilted her head, "Oh, hello! Are you new?"

"Mermaids…" Mabel glared.

"Ah, yes…" The faun said uncomfortably, already aware of the mermaid's bewitching abilities. Joshua indicated with a nod, "We should be heading back to the camp."

The mermaid whined, "Aw, but you just got here!"

"And now we're just leaving!" The girl shouted, before pushing the two others away from the lake. She held out her hand, "I forgot about introductions. I'm Merle."

"Tid." The faun shook her hand, then noticed the marking on the back. He lifted it up to his eyes, "Is this a scar?"

"No!" She snickered, "It's Aquila, the Eagle."

Arriving at the camp, the more ancient Bill immediately approached them. He said, "Follow, Light, we have another group incoming."

Joshua nodded and bid goodbye to the other two. Tid asked, "Light?"

"Your Highness has a thing for nicknames with whatever suits them. Joshua is called Light because of his soul weapon." Merle explained. The faun prompted, "Which is…?"

"Uh, I'm not exactly certain, but if I recall correctly, he's the keeper of the first soul weapon."

"That exists?"

"Of course, there's a beginning to everything, is there not?" She described with hand gestures, "Because the tremendously evil demon had created a new magnitude of dark energy, there had to be a balance. Thus, the first soul weapon, which is likely to be the most powerful."

"What does that look like?"

"It looks like light energy, thus: Light. But it's not all so great. It was pretty difficult… and frightening, sometimes. I was chosen to be the one keeping an eye on him."

"So what about your nickname?"

"He calls me—"

"Merle! Your aid is needed!" Another human cut in hurriedly. She nodded and beckoned the faun to keep up.

Mabel watched them leave. "The first Soul Fighter weapon… that's me, right?"

"You're not a weapon, foolish girl. You're only a girl that is foolish that possesses it."

She hummed with delight, before transitioning the topic. "Why was there only a few humans? And a smallish camp?"

"The world was only beginning to develop Soul Fighter powers. Around this time, they shunned those with it, and would be inclined to 'helping' them with their 'problem.'"

Mabel discovered that they were no longer in the memory. He moved to the next door.

"There's… a long history about the world and its acceptance towards Soul Fighters and mythical creatures…" Bill halted as he placed a hand on the doorknob. He gazed at Mabel with a carefree smile, "But this _is_ about me, so that'll be barely relevant. Besides, it's in the school curriculum, in a lot of books, and incorrectly referenced in the media."

The duo ambled through the door and began observing the next memory. Mabel kept chatting, "So you've been saving more creatures from your world?"

"That's right. Except, 'save' is a bit too heroic for me. I prefer 'preserve.'"

She blew a raspberry. "But you are a hero!"

He chortled. "There were always times where I had to sacrifice a few for more. I did it in a heartbeat."

Mabel shrugged sheepishly. "Hopefully, they had a fun time while it lasted."

They were now in a very familiar forest, one filled with the sound of construction and dimmed with the production of smoke. Regardless, the hot sun was beating down on the active men. Some were hammering down nails, others were working together to lug around chopped down trees. One brawny man stood out from the rest, wielding an axe upon his shoulder and resting his other on his hip. He was participating in a discussion with another man, who was lean and lanky, yet still exuded supremacy. They seemed to be quite heated in their discourse.

"Mr. President, I think you're great and all, but I love pancakes."

"Listen, here, my burly friend, pancakes are the root of all evil!"

"That's what money is!" Archibald argued back.

"Mr. President! There's a boy here to see you!" A rotund, middle-aged man had interjected. Quentin waved, "Very well, bring him over!"

Once more, Bill Cipher had appeared, yet this time, he was perched atop a horse. He hopped off the animal and slapped its thigh. The horse neighed angrily, before bolting after some of the workers. The abrupt chaos had disturbed the peaceful environment. The boy chuckled darkly, "That's always funny."

"Man, I love this kid." Bill gestured towards his memory self. Mabel arched an eyebrow at him, before snickering, "I'm just glad to see you getting back to normal after a while."

"Ah, Your Highness! Fancy seeing you here!" Quentin used his hand to present the town in the making. "Do you like what we have here?"

Bill's eyes darted from one thing to another. "It's—"

"I fell off a horse that fell off a cliff!" The president tapped his cranium. "I suffered from a concussion. Yet, here we are. Life is full of wonders."

"Indeed." He pursed his lips in annoyance. "So I dare wonder: is there a particular reason you aren't wearing pants?"

"It's the law!" The man professed, "And no man is above the law!"

"Who's this loon?" Mabel giggled. "He's got some great ideas. Although, I do like pancakes."

"That's your eight and a half president." Bill watched in amusement at his younger self being frustrated by the insane president. "He won by a landslide."

"He got that much support?!"

"No, the other candidates died by sliding land."

"Yikes." Mabel smiled at the current bickering in front of them, "Well, I'd give him my vote."

"Not old enough." Bill reminded her with a lopsided grin. Mabel curled her fists, "You hush!"

Memory Bill bared his teeth, "If you think rectangles actually have significance, then you deserve to be impeached for conduct unbecoming!"

"Triangles are of no worth!"

"You take that back, you filthy flesh sack!"

"I'll take it to your triangular grave!"

"That's it!" Bill clapped his hands, summoning a grotesque creature to creep out from the darkness. Quentin yelped, as did his companion and others that were nearby. "I was going to use her for an entirely different scenario, but you forced my hand!"

"Eugh, you know how I feel about gigantic, man-eating spiders, boy!"

"Aren't you just the friendliest person around?" Mabel commented as they watched Quentin grovel on the ground in surrender. Bill defended, "I went easy on him. I could've asked for two to appear."

"Your Highness, please!" Archibald stepped in, shielding the trembling Trembley. "There is a purpose to your visit, is there not?"

"There _is._ " Bill spoke as though he was speaking to children. "I need Light here to sustain an interdimensional portal in order for the remaining creatures of my realm to escape."

Quentin swung his fist heartily. "That sounds incredible!"

"You'll die."

"What?!" Archibald exclaimed. Quentin swung his fist backwards, "Not so incredible!"

"This man is also the president of the United States—!"

"An awful one, we all know."

"—and you cannot just pull him from his duty to serve yours!"

"Hold, Archibald." Quentin pinched the tip of his sideburns in deep thought. "I had wanted to encase myself in a block of solid peanut brittle in order to live forever, yet the option of tearing a rift in between realities sounds to be much more worth it."

"Based on what I've seen, eternity is not as fun as it should be." Bill winked, "Go for the other choice."

"It's decided!" Quentin declared, "I will assist you in your quest!"

"You are a brave man, Mr. President." Archibald placed his hat close to his heart and wiped away a single tear. "I have been honored to protect you. I'll ensure this town will be built in your name."

"I'll miss you, too, as well as your funny birthmark."

"May you go down in history!"

"May you live on to serve these generous citizens!"

"Sentiments be damned. We don't have time to waste!" Bill snarled while he turned on his heel. With dignity, Quentin swiftly followed after the boy, leaving behind his burly friend. Mabel also sniffed, "That was a beautiful moment, you jerk!"

"It lasted for about five seconds!"

"It could've last longer!"

"There was no time back then!" He countered, "Everything was already setting into place. He was the last piece."

Bill waved his arms around, "Just… shush, and let me drag you to the next one."

"Fine." She crossed her arms and allowed him to secure a grip on her collar. Bill hauled her elsewhere, which was the final memory he wanted to show her. Her heels scraped across the floor until they halted in front of another door. Entering, Mabel inched closer to him, "This doesn't feel like a good memory."

They appeared to be in an absolutely decimated landscape. There was no sun, nor any moon, for it seemed as though all light was muffled by dense clouds. If there was any vegetation, it came in the form of dry, choppy grass that threatened to break apart at any moment. A cliff towered behind them, shadowing their figures even more. Mabel surveyed the area in front of them, "It's so… quiet."

"Shh." Bill pressed his index finger against his lips. They waited for something to happen.

In the distance, a colossal column of smoke soared upwards, sending harsh winds in all directions. The brittle grass finally vanished.

From the great beyond, a body whizzed past Mabel and collided into the rock formation behind them. A mass of smoke dissipated into the air, revealing Bill—still twelve-year-old Bill Cipher. He had blood running down the side of his head, dripping onto his clothes and plopping onto the ground. His clothes were ripped in several places, and scratches littered his skin. Pushing himself up, he sought to stand on his two feet, yet was met with difficulty. Someone else materialized in front his endeavor, violet eyes studied with false pity.

She struggled to stifle a sharp inhale. The same man that cursed Bill had overpowered him once again. She scrunched her nose and balled her fists, "Who is that jerk?! I'll teach him a thing or two!"

Bill simpered. "Will I have to start calling you Little Fez? This is only a memory, Shooting Star."

Then, he said ominously, "The real deal is somewhere else."

"He should step on a lego…"

"Adrian." Bill replied indifferently, "His name is Adrian."

Mabel squinted, "Adrian should step on a lego…"

The memory hadn't stopped playing during their conversation. Adrian seized Bill by the collar and hurled him in a different direction. For a short moment, the boy tumbled across the ground. He looked up and saw the myriad of other demons enclosing him. Amongst them was a familiar pink demon with her whip out, her tongue sliding across her thick lips. Adrian joined the ring, "How pathetic."

Bill heaved, his fingers digging into the dirt. One demon yowled, "Come on, say something!"

"Make this fun for us!"

"Get up!"

"Cry!"

"Scream!"

"You can all _shut the hell up!_ " He yelled, but to no avail. The repulsive creatures only guffawed. Adrian sighed, "This has been going on for too long. You're just starting to be a pest now."

Memory Bill mustered up a smug smile, "Who's fault is that?"

"Oh, my gosh, you're so stupid." Mabel remarked, throwing her hands outwards. Bill only shrugged.

"I have a solution." Adrian twisted his wrist, "Trap him."

Left and right, appendages or weapons shot out and constricted the blonde's body. They sunk into his flesh and squeezed out his breath, to the point where he could only take small intakes of air. Once again, Adrian murmured a series of foreign words, bringing a heavy trepidation within Mabel. The tips of his fingers were swirling with violet magic, and he rose them to press against Bill's temple. His thumb hovered over his eye, and Mabel found herself shaking present-day Bill's arm frantically.

"I know what's going to happen, just leave! Leave!" She pleaded. Within a second, the ex-prince teleported them outside of the memory. Yet again, they were inside of the dreamscape castle, with resonating silence to greet them. He monitored the girl quivering on his arm, "You're distraught."

"Am I?!" She asked sarcastically, before continuing as though she had just uncovered a humongous fossil. "That's what happened to you? He cursed you again to forget everything…"

"And to alter my abilities." Bill elaborated further, "One-hundred and twenty years ago, I woke up, and he carefully told me that I was an emerging demon with dream powers. He made me a half-demon."

"And that's why your eye was so pretty?" Mabel suddenly felt ashamed for admiring something that was so sinister. "It was just dark magic swirling in your eyeball?"

They fell silent.

"You didn't know, and neither did I." Bill responded as he scanned her mind. "But by being around you, your soul slowly removed both of the spells. I hadn't realized it then, but there was a tingling in my chest that was a symptom of it. I began to experience flashbacks, and I started growing again. And then the day Pyronica attacked, you saved me. Conveniently, you completely removed both curses. Although, my right eye is useless from the magic."

"So… you can die now…?"

"...Yes, but now I no longer have my powers bounded to limitations. I can burn everything to ash! I could rule the Earth with an iron fist!" Bill raised his clenched hand and laughed maniacally. Mabel stared at him in disbelief with his abrupt exaggeration. She had winced as he turned around to face her at a speed that should have broken his neck. "Although, I'm curious as to how you completely eradicated the two enchantments when you cannot control your powers yet."

He leaned in close to her face with a suspicious hum that steadily rose in volume. She snorted and nervously laughed, "It was—uh—just a… a… aaaaaah—"

"Oh, gross," Bill backed away immediately, "Don't sneeze when I'm so close!"

"I wasn't going to sneeze!" Embarrassed, she shouted at him, "It was a kiss!"

He blinked owlishly. She clamped her mouth shut.

"...You kiss people with sneezes?"

"No!" Mabel felt the heat radiate from her cheeks, "I-I kissed you when that _she-demon_ had left, and it saved you… apparently."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

A beat.

"I… need to check something."

Bill swiftly fled from his awkward position, leaving Mabel to slap her forehead multiple times. He scoured throughout each recent memory, flying through doors and playing them on fast-forward. None of them contained the supposed kiss. Enraged, he went on a tantrum: kicking a couple of objects around and punching a few walls.

"Yep, everything's in its place." Bill returned and said coolly. Mabel combed her fingers through her hair, "Um, is there anything left to see?"

Bill thought for a moment, before smirking. "There's actually one last thing."

* * *

"This was my realm."

They were atop the very cliff he had shown her in his last memory. Bill stood in front of her as Mabel sweeped her eyes across the bleakness behind her. There was boulders and black trunks from trees that no longer existed. Ash seemed to cover more surface than dirt, and the variety of color, or lack thereof, was frightening. The air carried that notorious chill that triggered red flags in her brain. Afar, she could discern wandering, shadowy blobs that would encounter each other rather aggressively.

Mabel asked gently, hopefully, "Why did you show me everything? Besides that I asked."

"I…" He breathed and switched answers, "I think you should have a taste of what you'll be getting into. I have reason to believe you and your brother will be the key to helping me win."

She held back any signs of disappointment. "For what?"

"Isn't it obvious, Shooting Star?" Bill declared with finality she's never heard before, "I'm taking my kingdom back."

With her tongue tied, she couldn't tear her eyes off of him. He seemed like the brightest thing in this dreadful realm. Mabel stepped forward, taking a spot next to him and soaked in more of what she could see ahead. She felt her sympathy bring tears to her eyes. His land, his streets, and the palace with the people who raised him, they were all decimated into bleakness. Where he grew up was long gone, and she could only understand him on a basic level. She hadn't spent multiple millennia trying to revive a reality.

To add to the fact, he was supposed to rule over and protect this area, and she couldn't feel like she could relate to that responsibility. Although unspoken, she sensed the regret and self-loathing from him because of the loss of his kingdom, and that he was unable to achieve his vengeance. Yet, he was ready to try again, now that he remembered.

"Of course you will!" Mabel smacked his arm lightly, drawing his attention. "You know you're not alone in this, right? Never again! I'll be there every step of the way!"

She stood proud with her hands on her hips and a sunny grin on her face. He felt his mouth go dry, "Why?"

"It'll be fun, and this world deserves their true king!" She pumped her fists in the air. "We'll take down those bad guys and—"

"No, Shooting Star. Why do you stay?"

She faltered. "Huh?"

Bill was pinning her with an intense stare, one that made her insides squirm. Albeit, she couldn't sense him trying to invade her mental privacy. He was searching her face as though the answer would be there.

"You've never turned away or have been afraid of me… You've trusted me all along, and you've cared about me before the curse was destroyed. Now, you're even willing to help me take everything back? After what happened to my parents and my kingdom?" Bill furrowed his eyebrows, but he refused to read her mind. For some odd reason, he just desired to hear her say the truth. "Aren't you scared for your own life?"

Mabel felt her shoulders slacken completely. Her smile was now tiny, albeit still genuine.

"Sometimes, I am…" Mabel shrugged and briefly looked to the side, before focusing on him again, "but I get scared for everyone else's, too. The world is wonderful and fun and… and everyone should get a chance to enjoy it! Even you!"

She threw her arms out towards the fallen kingdom. "Now your goal is to make _this_ world wonderful again, and that can only happen with you. Though, maybe I'll even get to put in some of my own crazy ideas as payment!"

Mabel giggled at the thought of adding weird things like guards with waffle costumes or penguins as waiters. Bill cocked an eyebrow, "But why do you concern yourself with me so much after all this time? And I've seen how you've treated your best friends. You don't constantly stare at them and cling to them. And what's with the occasional red face and weird mood changes?"

"I… ah," She sang out a flat note, " _Whaaaaaat?_ "

"You say that we're friends but you perceive me differently...:" Bill curled his finger against his chin and relayed his thoughts in mutters, "...and then I observe different humans with their peculiar friend-rituals…they're quite boring…and sometimes they're just outright faking..."

She froze as he rambled on about all the little things he noticed when she was around him, and compared their friendship to others that he had recorded. How could he be so _oblivious?_

Mabel swallowed down her anxiety and felt her face heat up again. Bill noticed instantly, and pointed it out, "See, like that!"

"You blockhead!" She swatted his finger away and flitted her eyes from the ground to his own several times. Mabel breathed in deeply, "It's called... _being in love_."

If a pin were to drop, they'd hear it miles away. The silence seemed to stretch on towards forever, even if it was just a few seconds. Mabel was suffocating under an impossibly horrid pressure. Bill blinked twice, forming funny shapes with his lips, until actual sound was emitted. "What...?"

Mabel caved in and exploded into a fretting mess. She clutched her chocolate locks and shook her head frantically. "Nevermind! I was just kidding! Ahahaha!"

"You can't kid about that!" Bill snapped viciously, concealing his absolute puzzlement towards her words and sudden anger over the fact that there was the slightest possibility that she hadn't been serious. Abruptly, Mabel crouched down and retreated into her sweater as though she was a turtle defending itself. Her muffled voice still portrayed her vulnerability. "Nice talk, team! Break!"

"We aren't done!" Bill growled, "Come out of there and face me, you coward!"

"Lalala, I can't hear you!"

His voice rose in volumes. "You can't stay in there forever!"

"Yes, I can!"

"No, you can't!"

"Yes, I can!"

"No, you—agh!" Exasperated, Bill kicked the balled up girl; his way of demanding that she face him head-on. It wasn't hard enough to hurt her, but just enough to push her over onto her side, where she then rolled over on her other side… then to her other side… then to her other side…

...until she was no longer visible…

A beat.

Bill swore loudly, realizing that he had just sent Mabel tumbling down a steep hill. He quickly teleported to the bottom of the highland, hoping that she hadn't collided into a stray trunk or boulder on the way down. Once he manifested, he immediately spotted her on the ground. Fortunately, she was free of any dire injuries, only laying down on the barren dirt with her arms and legs spread out—ironically—like a star. He floated at a distance of her with only the slightest hint of guilt on his face.

"Look at what happened to my sweater…" Mabel said numbly, fingering the torn-up and smudged fabric. With even more luck, however, she happened to be wearing one of her own creations: a baby blue sweater with an adorable cream-colored puppy playing with a purple ball. If it had been the Shooting Star one that she had been so thoughtfully dubbed for, then her reaction would be entirely different, with some tears. Regardless, each sweater she knitted was an extension of her personality, fabricated from her love to express her uniqueness.

Bill floated beside her resting position, shoving his hands in his pockets and giving her a half-lidded eye. She lethargically turned her head towards him with a sheepish grin.

"How's the weather up there?"

"It's always terrible here."

"Figures." Mabel closed her eyes and allowed a wave tension to course throughout her body. She was afraid, of course; who wouldn't be scared to admit their feelings?

"What you said…" Bill started slowly, "what did you mean by it?"

"I mean that I have this very complicated and awful emotion towards you, and it's all your fault."

He glared at her. She heaved a sigh.

"Okay, maybe it's also... _slightly_... my fault."

She haughtily turned her head away from him. "But it's mostly yours."

"Just _speak_." Bill gritted his teeth. "Say it clearly! You shouldn't have mumbled."

"That moment was yours, Bill. What right did I have to ruin that with some dumb girl-feelings?" Her eyes were half-open, but her cheek was still pressed against the black, dry dirt. Bitterly, she offered, "If you wanna know so badly, read my mind."

Bill couldn't believe that she was _mocking_ him. Mabel didn't care. "Go ahead."

He grew hotter by the second, " _No."_

She frowned deeply and curled into her side. "You don't make any sense."

" _I'm_ the one who doesn't make any _sense?!_ " Bill threw his arms wildly. "I just want to hear you say what you mean! That's not hard! I showed you my whole life story! Why can't you explain yourself in a few words?!"

She puffed her cheeks. "I never wanted to know your _entire_ life story."

"Ohoho, yes, you did." He pointed vehemently. "You _thought_ it."

"But did I say anything?!"

He choked out a strained laugh while pacing around the area. "No! You just looked at me with those stupid sparkly eyes with the _audacity_ to even pout a little!"

She crossed her arms, still on her side. "Well, I don't know what that word means!"

"Read a damn dictionary!"

"Read _this!"_ She finally turned around to face him, only to stick her tongue out and pull the skin underneath one eye. He fumed and stomped back to next to her spot. The anger fled from his body when she seized the opportunity to clutch onto his vest. Pulling him downwards, they were abruptly up close and silent. She was sitting up, holding herself by one elbow, while he was on his feet, bending over with impeccable flexibility. There was only the sound of breathing from their heated argument.

Mabel broke into a giggle. She looked him straight in the eye and spoke sincerely. "I love you, Bill Cipher."

He couldn't lift his jaw up, but he couldn't make a sound. Forcing a swallow, the back of his neck heated up. Another sensation filled his chest, but it wasn't her light energy cleansing him of any curse. It fluttered and threatened to break out. Of course, he just wanted to clarify for sure what she said earlier was what he thought he heard. But hearing it said out loud and so firmly sent his mind reeling.

She _loved_ him?

She released him, causing him to stumble on his feet while he attempted to regain his balance. The rare sight made her chuckle again. He found no humor in the situation. "You… you shouldn't…"

"Hey, love is strange, alright?" Mabel was pleased to have obtained more of her confidence. "Don't tell me what I can or can't do. My family has already tried, but my heart is set. It's just that… I'm not afraid to say it anymore."

"Dating is… not my specialty," Bill's face darkened, "I'll probably be too busy to tend to you..."

"I know, so you don't have to date me when it'll be half-hearted. You don't have to do anything, actually. It's not like you did anything before." She shook her head fondly. "And it's okay to be a little confused. I mean, even _I_ just figured it out."

Bill grimaced as he slightly leaned away from her. Mabel felt a pang of hurt, yet she didn't waver. Her voice held a light, playful tone. "What, do I have the plague? Don't act so silly. I still see you the same way, but now, I just have a greater appreciation for it."

He said in a low tone, "And what if I can't do the same for you?"

Mabel felt a wave of panic flood through her, before it shifted to realization. The way he reacted to her words, the emotion in his eye and in his voice. She could see that Bill wasn't disgusted by her; he was afraid of disappointing her. She folded her arms and shrugged. A smug smirk made way to her face, "Unless you have a harem somewhere, I don't see much competition for me. Plus, even if you're some supernatural, noble being, you're still human with human emotions."

Then, she smiled—beautiful and genuine. "I'll wait for you."

Bill felt his chest harden like dried cement, and although uncomfortable, it was not exactly painful. He had no idea how to respond to this, or what to expect from now on. Should he play it off? Lie? Flee? Outright refuse her? As much as he wanted to turn around and leave forever to save them both the trouble, he was frozen in place. It would be cowardly, and he was selfish.

All those options would lead to her feelings being hurt and a serious dent in his pride. He valued her more than he had ever remembered even considering someone else since his parents and kingdom. Letting her go was now a remote, minute thought. He couldn't imagine anyone else that could suit her more. Yet, he still couldn't bring himself to act. So, he just stood there, like an idiot.

A blush warmed her face at his open confliction. This seemed like one of the only times she would be able to see him with his guard down. Where he displayed his emotions as open and real as she did. Without warning, Mabel looked at him sternly as she poked his chest rather roughly. "But you _will_ be mine, mister."

Bill had forgotten another important factor to his contemplation. She was steadily developing from a cute girl to a pretty hot— _mildly attractive_ young woman, so that was a bonus. Bill found himself being drawn into her hopeful eyes again. He couldn't handle playing a fool any longer. Matching her saucy grin, he folded his arms and enjoyed being the taller of the two.

"Is that so?"

"Mmhm." Mabel patted his cheek, "It's just a matter of time."

"You're out of your mind."

"Aren't you?"

"In a tasteful manner."

"Uh huh," She responded, not persuaded in the slightest. Suddenly, there was an explosion in the distance, and the billowing of smoke. Mabel cringed at the sound of a bloodthirsty screech.

"Let's get out of here. This place gives me the willies."

He stifled a chuckle as she swooped his hand in a familiar grip. In a blink of an eye, they departed from the desolate world, together.

* * *

 **How was V-Day? Amazing?! Horrible?!**

 **Can I just** _ **ask**_ **why is it that in a lot of fanfics I read, I always see someone spell "definitely" as "defiantly"? This is completely random and unrelated to the chapter, but I just notice this so much and it's funny, but I just wanna know if anyone else notices it.**

 **She confessed! And now… the wait. But really, would you juggle dating and conquering a kingdom from a dark lord while you're far behind? I apologize if you're ruffled that they aren't a couple, but nooot yet!**

 **I'm still excited for the incoming teasing from other characters and more teasing of ship! Huehuehue…**

 **And now, back to our favorite Dipwad.**

 **Until next time!**


	41. Chapter 41

**Guest666(Guest): THANK YOU SO MUCH! HERE IS MOAR!**

 **Sombody1nceToldMe(Guest): Right… now!**

 **Tammy Flarks(Guest): Thank you so much for recognizing my effort! *stuffs cookie in mouth***

 **Paul Starhaven: Let's hope he succeeds in the end, then!**

 **Guest 1(Guest): I don't know how many times I've said this, but I'm quite excited too!**

 **KittyCat151: I, too, cannot wait for Dipcifica to develop. *more weird face***

 **2000girl: Of course I shall! Until the end!**

 **Anonymous(Guest): Do you really? *twinkle sparkle shiny eyes***

 **Kaos-hime: *currently drowning in ship feels too***

 **ottersfriend: Aaaah! Thank you! People telling me my story is good enough to be a storyline or just good in general just asdfghjkl.**

 **PsychoticChainsaw123: I shamefully re-read her confession just because.**

 **lunathemoongoddess217: YUUUS! I immensely enjoy the support!**

 **RyuAssassin: You're bloody awesome for reading!**

 **Retrokill: Finally indeed!**

 **NickStriker: I wonder, as well… *weird face***

* * *

 **The people who tell me that they've read my fanfic in like two days blow me away because it's like "omg u spent a lot of ur time reading forty chapters?" and thank you very much for that.**

 **You guys really like to give me cookies! (Not that I mind :p)**

 **Also, as you know, I love watching cartoons.**

 **Star vs. The Forces of Evil has slain me, and it is hard to rise up. Blegh.**

 **There's a bit of a… thing… at the end A/N. Nothing to be worried about, just pretty long.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls, DC, or Coldplay.**

* * *

Her family now knew about her recent confession.

When Mabel returned home that day after finding Bill again, she didn't really know what to expect. However, she did know the outcome would be nothing seriously negative. Her great uncles would probably be outraged, disgusted, yet understanding, nonetheless. Her brother may most likely be weirded out and uncomfortable, yet still pleased that she was happy. It would be fine! At least, that's what she had hoped for.

" _Grunkle Stan, Grunkle Ford…" Mabel began gently, albeit the uneasiness in the pit of her stomach was weighing her down, "Please don't freak out, but I… I-I told Bill that I loved him! Yes, it's not just some silly crush anymore. I realized that no one could ever take his place in my heart. He… He means a lot to me…"_

" _...Love is a strong word, dear." Ford stated with a neutral tone. Mabel replied with certainty, "I know."_

" _And he knows?"_ _Stan asked in a solemn manner. They were presently in the living room, with her sitting cross-legged and facing her great uncles head-on. Mabel nodded once, waiting for the outburst of emotions that was sure to come. A moment of silence passed… then Ford threw his hands up, "About time!"_

 _Mabel blinked. "Huh?!"_

" _I was beginning to think his brain was made of metal," Ford rolled his eyes, before continuing, "It's still sad that you had to explain yourself."_

" _No dates later than twelve in the morning!" Stan planted. Mabel furrowed her eyebrows, "It's always later than twelve in the morning! And we aren't dating!"_

" _You aren't? Holy shit, there's a kiss and a confession, and nothing happens? Tsk, that idiot brat…" Stan grumbled, delighted that they weren't going out, yet irritated at the same time because she seemed to be wasting her breath for him while he took his sweet time. It was a very confusing set of emotions for such an old man. She was dumbfounded, unable to lift up her jaw. Shaking her head, she looked at them with incredulous eyes. "And you guys are perfectly fine with this?"_

" _Geez, it's like you and your brother want us to punish you." Stan rubbed his temples with exasperation, "No, sweetie, we aren't about to blow up in rage and splatter our guts across the walls. Despite how horrid he is and that you're too good for anyone, we already understand, remember?"_

" _It's not like it'll make much of a difference if you hadn't told him. You're practically a couple, either way..." Ford muttered the last part to himself, unheard by the young girl. He sighed heavily with defeat, before asking sincerely, "It feels better being open, right?"_

" _Yep! I feel fantastic!" Mabel nodded profusely. Dizzy, she held her head and focused her eyesight on an object so the world would stop twisting and spinning. She finally noticed Dipper, who was sulking in the corner with his knees pulled up to his chest. He was mumbling, "Love sucks…confusing…too many songs about it…false advertisement..."_

" _I'm… sure he's okay." Stan rubbed his chin skeptically. Mabel clapped her hands and stretched out her fingers, "He just needs to be tickled."_

 _Dipper straightened up instantly. "Mabel, no! No! Get away—NO—!"_

She laughed out loud, prompting her hand to cover her mouth. Bill arched an eyebrow, where she dismissed him with a wave. Yet, he scanned her mind and saw the memory she had been thinking about. A snort came out, "Merciless."

"Maybe."

"And your great uncles are gonna get what's coming to them."

"Hey, they weren't wrong. I felt like I was crushing on a yellow brick wall." She gave him a cheeky grin, "But feel free to prank them, anyway."

"Would've done it, regardless." Bill mentioned, already plotting a few tricks to hide in his sleeve. Afterwards, he turned to the girl with an emotionless expression, "So you tell them that you confessed, but not that I'm a prince?"

She opened and closed her mouth several times, before saying sheepishly, "Riiiight… I thought I forgot something important."

Bill rolled his eyes in disbelief, which led to Mabel's defensive response, "Hey, I'll just tell them sometime in the near future."

They roamed together throughout the Japanese garden, enjoying the aesthetic of nature and the serene ambience. Their feet automatically followed the path that was paved as their continuous conversation filled the quietness. There was barely any others, perhaps out buying gifts for the holiday season, or it was too chilly to be strolling around. Mabel had only double-layered her sweaters while Bill donned a black trench coat, surely wearing his birthday gift underneath. The branches swayed along the breeze, and the running water created a constant sound of peace and comfort.

"Hehe, look at me! I'm a pirate!" She claimed as she swung her arms around heartily. The black eyepatch was a nice fit over her eye. "Argh!"

Her foot bumped into something. If not for the unimpressed blond beside her, she would have tumbled into the chilly pond. Mabel steadied herself on the hand grabbing her and giggled bubbly. "This is so weird with just one eye. I can barely see anything. No wonder you move your head so much!"

"I do not!" He regarded angrily, his head shaking with each word. She broke out into a laughing fit, "You just did!"

"Alright, enough with that!" He snatched his eyepatch back, which had mussed her hair. With a huff, he snapped it back into place. "Where's the respect…?"

She flattened her locks and batted her eyelashes, "Oh, come on. I just _had_ to try it. I always like trying on your stuffity-stuff!"

"Why?"

"Because that's all I want you for—your things."

"Oh, no. You've wounded me right here, in my heart organ." Bill told her monotonously. He patted his chest, before clutching it. "It's bleeding. It's bleeding a lot. Whoops, I've exploded into blood and pieces. I'm now modern art—I mean—dead."

Mabel grinned widely, trying to stifle her chuckles but ultimately failing. Her attempt to play along was also pathetic, yet she persevered. With her hands on her cheeks, she faked a worried voice with little snickers. "D-Doctor, I think he's… pfft... d-dead!"

"You _think?_ "

She fell to her knees, hands clutching the ground, "We were too late! Noooo!"

"Wait just a second," Bill said sarcastically, prompting Mabel to look up. He scooped up an invisible organ and held it up to his ear. "it's still beating. You can fix me!"

She snatched the nonexistent flesh from his fingers and hurriedly jumped onto her heels. Bill watched as she hopped up on the railing of the bridge. Sticking her arms out, the cold gladly snuggled itself into her invitation. She paid the discomfort no mind.

" _Lights will guide you home_ ," She pointed at the hidden sun, then back to him, " _and ignite your bones!_ "

"Where the hell did you get the need to sing—?"

She planted her feet on the stone and twirled about as gracefully as a rock in a blender.

" _And I will try—"_ She inhaled and fastened a grip on his shoulders, " _to FIX YOU!_ "

"I'M FIXED!" Bill dodged her attempts at "healing" him. Swerving underneath her extended arms, he threatened to flee on foot. "I think this encourages me _not_ to be damaged if _you_ have to fix me."

"Well, in a way, that's good!" She swung her arm ardently, "So I'll take it!"

"Your positivity never ceases to amaze me."

"Well, without happiness, you wouldn't know how to be such a big bummer all the time, now would you?"

"Oh, _please._ " He rolled his eye. "That's like saying you need fire to have ice."

"Well, as that girl in your memory said, 'There has to be balance'!" Mabel used her hands to gesticulate in a dramatic manner. Straightening up, she said, "It's like making chocolate milk. Too much chocolate, then it's too sweet. Too much milk, then it's too bland. You need the right amount for it to work!"

Bill blinked, once, then twice. "Sure, of course."

She gasped. "You've never had chocolate milk before?!"

"I _literally_ said nothing else but 'sure, of course'!"

"I know you have never tasted the delicious, yummy goodness of chocolate milk, Bill, and that is _unacceptable_."

He let out an offended scoff. "It's just a sugary drink."

"And Dorotos are just chips, but you still like them!"

"They're… special little things. They empower me!"

"Let chocolate milk flow through your veins and empower you, then!"

"Shooting Star, you want _chocolate_ and _milk_ to help me win?"

She raised her eyebrows. "At least you win, right?"

"...Your logic is just _boggling_." He palmed his fist with determination. "Sign me up."

"Whoop, whoop!" Mabel cheered briefly. "I'll keep it in mind once we go home. But right now, this is about as good as chocolate milk."

He gave the scenery a once-over. "So, not that good?"

She puffed her cheeks and glared. He only shrugged off her vexation, in which she threw her arms outwards.

"Hey, Portland is pretty nice! Who even knew they had a Japanese garden?"

"Lots of people."

She eyed him warily. "You don't feel like destroying this place, do you?"

"I can." Bill saw her disapproving gaze. "But it's not a gnawing feeling from nowhere. It's more like a subconscious way of venting out my burning desire to murder my enemies."

"Ah, I see…" She nodded, although with a slightly bewildered crinkle. Her eyes roved over the vicinity, until they ended up on the ground. Kneeling down, she picked up a crisp leaf between her fingers. It was considerably large, with three major pointy ends, along with tinier points. A beautiful shade of scarlet filled her eyes. Yet, the indications of decay were along its thin veins. She must have been staring at it longer than intended, for it elicited Bill to snort behind her.

"Don't eat it. It's not good for you."

She scrunched her nose and shot up on her feet. Letting the leaf drift to the floor, she slapped his arm, "I wasn't going to eat it!"

"I read your mind."

"Now, you're just lying!"

"That leaf is not even the weirdest thing you've ingested."

"I was _appreciating_ it. You just need to see my way of appreciation for life. It comes in pretty flowers and funny people and, especially, hot boy bands!"

Mabel then went on to talk his ear off about the latest hit boy band, Sev'ral Timez. He only groaned inwardly, sticking out his tongue in distaste at her obvious admiration. An unfamiliar feeling filled his chest whenever she mentioned other… _males_ , that weren't her family. Bill interjected, "I swear, there's something off about them."

"You're just saying that!"

"Saying it for a reason."

"Hmmm!" She folded her arms and leaned in. An eyebrow rose out of suspicion, "I didn't pin you down as the jealous type."

He deflected, "You've pinned me down for other things."

She flushed. He grinned.

"Those were all affectionate and innocent!"

"Hey, I didn't say they weren't. Where's your mind flying off to?" He gave her a stare that threatened to invade her mental privacy, just to find more things to embarrass her with. She squeaked and suddenly shoved his face away, causing him to stumble and fall into a pond. Gasping, she rushed over to help him up, but he only floated upwards. Water dripped from the tips of his coat and his blonde hair. He was soaked, and thanks to the biting cold, _freezing_.

Mabel grinned sheepishly. "Whoops?"

"Honestly, Shooting Star, control those hands of yours!" He said as he set himself aflame. Mabel looked at him with awe. "Whoa, your clothes don't burn off?"

"No, I'm only covering myself in it. It's not actually touching my clothes." Bill smirked at her. "No need to be disappointed."

"I am _not!_ " She puffed her cheeks and poised to strike his arm. From there, it had all happened so quickly.

Bill's eyes widened as a horrid sound of pain erupted from her lips. With a few stray tears, she clutched her burning hand to her chest in a desperate attempt to take away the agony. The ex-prince hastily rid of his fire and forced her burnt hand into the pond, where awful sizzling reached their ears. She moaned at the instant relief, yet she was still gritting her teeth at the stinging.

"No good." Bill remarked, before reaching into his pocket and popping open a healing potion. He rose her hand above the water and poured a couple of drops onto her blooming flesh. In an instant, her skin appeared as though she hadn't just suffered through intense pain. Mabel questioned weakly, "Where did you get that potion?"

"That's your first question? Really?" He scoffed. "I stole it, obviously. I knew you'd get hurt somehow. And you can tell Sixer where his inventory vanishes off to. Besides that, what the hell were you thinking?!"

"That I was gonna hit you and then laugh?"

"Idiot… I told you that my powers are no longer restrained, nor demonic. They're pure and ready to destroy, so you can't just willy-nilly touch my flames."

"Gee, is there anything else I need to know?"

"My regenerative powers are now fast-acting, which is why I was able to return quickly after my… little skirmish."

"I was being sarcastic, but that's really cool to know!" She claimed keenly, before her expression became crestfallen. "How do I hold your hand now?"

"Like how you've always done before." Bill suggested with a sharp tone. She was taken aback. "Are you giving me permission?"

"I'm graciously reminding you—" He nearly bit his tongue as she rammed into him, her cheek pressing against his. The embrace only lasted a second until she pulled away with a dazzling smile and a firm grasp on both of his gloved hands. "Let's explore some more stuff in the city!"

Without a chance to respond, he was dragged off to his doom.

"You know what I've noticed?" Mabel said as she walked ahead of him. Her eyes roamed the noisy city and busy streets, noting the high number of two-wheeled vehicles. She fixated her eyes on a couple biking on a couple bike. Then she zoned in on students with their bags biking to school. Next, she whirled around to find herself staring at a bike store, a long rack of bikes, and a billboard with a bike ad.

"Man, my bike was stolen yesterday." Someone said as they passed by. The pair was heading towards the bike rack. The friend responded with, "Really? That sucks—oh! Mine is gone, too..."

As they sulked over their lost bikes, Mabel hummed in deep thought, mulling over the obvious characteristic of the city. With blithe, she pointed upwards, "This place smells like it was doused in coffee!"

"Shooting Star," Bill grabbed a hold of her cheeks and directed her eyesight, "there are bikes… _everywhere_. Whatever just came out of your mouth, I want you to put in back inside."

Mabel pouted. "But it does smell like coffee."

"That does not mean that is the first thing you notice about this place."

"How do you notice the wrong thing?"

He gave her a pointed look. Groaning, she then blew a raspberry and threw her arms up. "Fine. Wow, look at all these bikes."

If she was a bunny, her ears would have perked up with immediate interest. Abruptly, Mabel bounced in place and tugged his sleeve. "This place is full of _bikes,_ Bill! I haven't ridden a bike in forever! Let's get a bike!"

"Already got one." He presented her with a bright pink bike, equipped with a woven basket and a golden bell. Ringing it twice, he smirked smugly. She grinned from ear to ear, but before she laid her hands on it, she looked at him doubtfully. "Where did you get this?"

"That's not important," Bill said as he ignored the frustrated cries of a teenage girl in the distance, "What's important is that you can entertain yourself with this."

"D'aww, how sweet."

Bill looked indifferent. "It's just a bike, Shooting Star. Go crazy."

"You think so? Then try and catch me!"

In just a few seconds, she was already zooming far ahead of him. Her behind was barely touching the seat as she pedaled through the winding street. Ringing the bell and smiling widely, she caught the attention of many passing locals. She skillfully evaded a myriad of objects and people, then entered the first park she spotted. Without a hitch, Mabel parked herself beside the sparkling fountain. Hopping off, she placed her hands on her hips and laughed triumphantly.

"What'chu laughin' at?"

"AHH!" Mabel leaped out of her skin, whereas Bill only cackled. She scrunched her nose, "No fair! You used your teleporty powers!"

"I think I'd be more concerned about your bicycle."

"Ha, why?" Mabel turned around, only to find that her bike was, indeed, gone. She surveyed the area.

"...Where'd it go?"

"It's just survival of the fittest here, Shooting Star."

"Well, that stinks!" Mabel snapped her fingers in mild disappointment. "Oh, well, there's always more to explore on foot!"

After a series of spontaneous entries into a variety of buildings, they stopped in front of a window of a quaint store. Mabel "oooh-ed" at the glittering jewelry; her eyes virtually becoming stars. With a faint jingle, the front door opened, revealing the wondrous woman that is Melody. Mabel gasped and tackled the older female into a warm hug. "No way! Melody, what're you doing here?"

"This is my hometown?" She chuckled and patted the brunette's head. Mabel bounced on her toes. "Your hometown is super cool! We went all over!"

"You did?" Melody glanced up to find Bill Cipher, who was focusing on something else from afar. Turning her attention back to the girl, she smiled, "Are you guys on a date?"

That got Bill's attention. They both shouted at the same time, "No!"

Bill grumbled and looked away once more. Mabel had a grin playing on her lips and stuck both thumbs up, her head nodding vigorously. Melody only laughed, pointing her own thumb behind her. "I was just about to get a snack. Do you wanna come?"

"Do I?!" Mabel clapped her hands excitedly. Shooting a questioning gaze at Bill, he only waved her off indifferently, yet she still cheered. Grasping Melody's elbow, Mabel tugged her forward.

A beat later. "It's this way."

"Right, sorry!"

Another beat.

"Still wrong."

"How about you just drag me around?"

And they were gone. Bill was glad, for his next move was going to have to be done _alone._ However, it would be no challenge to him, of course. This was merely an extermination of an annoyance, a dire one that needed to be put in place. Somewhere far, far away, and never had the idea of bothering him _ever_ again.

Confidently marching up to a small group of young teenagers, the deadliest glint shone from his eye, and his mouth was pressed into a fine line with just the slightest curve. One girl stopped chewing her gum to eye him warily, "Can we help you?"

"You should help yourselves," Bill said smoothly, "since he's not getting any."

Suddenly, the shopping bags in their hands were nothing but ash. Fire danced behind him, casting a shadow across his apathetic face. Alarmed shouts from passersby failed to be noticed. Shrieking, all of them fled, except for one.

"What do you want from me?!" The boy cried, scrambling to get away. Bill bared his teeth in a sadistic grin, "Wanna play a game?"

"No!"

"Goodie! You're already getting the hang of it!" The fire rose and swirled into the palm of his hand, then it disappeared like a trick of magic. "It's called: How long can you lie before you're burnt to a crisp?"

"I-I'm not lying! Just leave me alone!"

"First question! Why in this big, wide world would you think about wasting your time hitting on a girl, with the intent to hurt her?"

"I wouldn't do anything like that!"

Bill clicked his tongue. "Not goodie, Jack."

The boy froze. "H-How did you…?"

"Second question! Why would you do it _anyway_ , even when I'm around?"

Jack got onto his feet and backed away farther. "You're insane!"

"That's touching. Really, it is." Bill held up three fingers. "Question number three! What's your favorite color?"

He was met with silence. The blonde broke out into a guffaw, leaving Jack to stare, disturbed. Attempting to laugh along, he commented, "Wow, you're p-pretty good. Am I on a show or something?"

Bill wiped his eye. "Huh? Oh, no. I just need to know what flowers I'll have to leave on your grave."

Without a moment's notice, Jack sprinted away for dear life. Bill rose on the tips of his toes and leaned his chin back, observing the body disappearing beyond the street. He smirked to himself.

"How cute."

"Geez! What a whacko…" The young man stopped, feeling a dull ache in his legs. Jack leaned on a lightpost and heaved ragged breaths. The bustling city was ruthless, however, as passing residents aimed strange glances his way, yet offered no actual concern. Although, there was another man relaxing next to him, who tilted his chin towards the panting mess beside him. He was wearing a casual hoodie, along with a pair of standard jeans. There was a glare of light reflecting off of his shades underneath the rim of his cap.

"Having it rough, buddy?"

"Yeah!" The young man gulped in more sweet air. He pointed weakly behind him. "Some nut job was about to bury me six feet under with just his _eye!_ "

The man grew suspicious, revealing the worry in his tone. "What for?"

"I don't know! All I did was look at him and his girl!"

"Huh… Well, what do you think of his girl?"

"Um…" Jack looked confused at the questioning, but proceeded, "She seemed… nice. Also, really pretty. I don't know why she would hang around some psycho, though…"

"Ah… Wrong answer." Out of the blue, the other man violently ripped off all of his casual clothing. Bill was uncovered like a jack in the box, wearing his typical classy fashion, sans his tophat. "SURPRISE, BITCH!"

"OH, NO! MERCY!"

"Bill!" Mabel popped up out of nowhere, unknowingly preventing any sort of murder that had about to occur. She was holding food in her hand, "Look, meat on a stick!"

She took a bite and chewed happily. He sighed.

"I'm kind of in the middle of something, here." He indicated with the hand that he had reaching toward the sky. His other hand had a deathly grip on Jack's collar, making sure he couldn't escape unless he wanted to ruin his shirt. Jack pleaded, "Please, call the police."

Mabel cooed, "Aw, you made a friend!"

"What? Ew, gross." Bill dropped him like a sack of potatoes. The boy sobbed and ran off into another direction, where the blond only rubbed his tainted hand against his leg. Disappearing and reappearing, he was wearing his tophat once more. Mabel frowned, "That's too bad. He was kind of cute, too."

Bill glanced at her, and she defended, "What? I thought he looked cute. I didn't say I loved him."

Gently, his hand veiled hers, and he shoved the snack into her mouth. Her muffled complaints had no effect on the satisfied ex-prince. He checked behind her, "Where is your friend?"

"She had to go back to work. It was only her break." Mabel drew a line from her closed eye down across her cheek with a pseudo sad arch on her lips. Bill only shook his head with puzzlement, "What was that?"

"I cried an invisible tear, duh."

"It's things like these that _make_ me feel old." Bill stated plainly, causing Mabel to snort. He looked up towards the sun, then held out his hand. "It's time you go back."

"Aw, already?" She slid her hand into his while raising the other half-heartedly. "Alright, I surrender!"

In a blink of an eye, they were in the woods. Turning around, Mabel found her beloved porch that was attached to her wonderful home, the Mystery Shack. Waddles bolted over to the couple and excitedly nibbled their shoes. She squeaked in delight, then bent down to rub his chubby face lovingly. He stared at her delighted expression, before closing his eye.

"I'm leaving again."

Alarmed, she rose slowly and fixed her gaze on him, "Why?"

"I told you that I was going to be busy," Bill elaborated, "I need to travel the world to spread the message to all of my realm's creatures that their king is back."

"But then you'll… you'll miss Christmas!"

"It's a darn shame." He deadpanned. Mabel thought up of something else to keep him at bay, "You've already done Gravity Falls and its creatures?"

"I'll be saving it for last. They have a particularly intolerable view of me."

"Oh," Mabel clasped her hands behind her back and yielded. He would be leaving again, and that was final. She at least wanted to know why. "Is there any specific reason why you're spreading the message?"

Bill gazed at her, contemplating. Although he had concerned himself with the mythical creatures in the past, he had distanced himself from all beings. It was a silly thing, a stupid thing; he was scarred from losing everything and afraid to lose it all again. Ha, now, it was a ridiculous thought. He, ever to be afraid, and to actually admit it to himself? But after the next few millennia, he had realized, he had nothing left to lose. He was alone and defeated, but this time, not again. Damn his pride, he'd still unite the creatures and have them help him, somehow. It would be the only way to win.

"Well, when I get my kingdom back, I'll need things to rule over."

Mabel wished she could read his mind like he could read hers. But alas, that was impossible. She sighed, "Oh, I thought you were going to start making nice with other creatures so they could help you."

He gave her an unvarnished stare. After rambling in his head about linking the creatures together, then reading her mind about his powers, and finally saying exactly what he had been thinking, he had found the coincidence all too funny. A brusque guffaw erupted from his mouth. She chuckled along to the uncommon sound.

"You've caught me." Bill held his hands up in mock surrender. Mabel gasped with twinkling eyes. "You're really gonna make amends with them?"

"Aha, sure, as if I didn't save their species from extinction, only to end up abandoned," Bill felt a little piqued at the thought, "They _owe_ me, or I can just take payment through _other_ methods."

She tilted her head, "And you call _me_ merciless."

"Heh," Bill inquired, "do you think only humans are attacked by demons and monsters?"

She hadn't ever wondered that, so the first time hearing such a question sent her into rumination. He clarified, "I'll just have to play my cards right, dig a little into their dwindling survival rate, and make some one-sided compromises."

"When will you be back?"

"As soon as I'm done." Bill shrugged. "But this is an important message to get across, so it may be a while."

Although buried deep within her heart was aching fear for his safety, and the fact she was already missing him before he had even left, she mustered up an encouraging smile. "No problem! You're coming back, anyway. All is good."

Bill rose his eyebrows. She hid her face from his piercing eye and used the other hand to block his sight. "Stop that."

"Your concern is always a phenomenon." Bill smirked, amused. "Make sure to train well. Sixer, Fez, and Llama will be good to learn from."

"Oh, Pacifica, too?"

"Yup… her." Bill gazed off into the distance. Suddenly, he slightly curled his lip, as if remembering something important. He shook his head to rid of his thoughts, "Anyway, I need to make my grand reappearance."

"Yeah, yeah. Just get outta here, ya vermin!" She playfully spat at him with a heavy accent. He rolled his eye and prepared to take off. Gasping, she dashed towards him and shouted, "Wait!"

Bill turned around, only to see her being dragged away by the turtleneck of her sweater. Waddles was bounding after her with blind enthusiasm. Grunkle Stan was shouting loudly, "Nope! No! I'm not letting you!"

"Oh, c'mon, you ruined my plan!" Mabel growled childishly as she crossed her arms. Her heels were digging into the dirt while he hauled her along, until they hit the wood of the stairs. Then, he picked her up and set her down in front of the door firmly. The old man scowled at her, "Your lips are not going anywhere near him again."

"It was just gonna be on the cheek!"

"In you go!" Stan shoved her inside the shack and shut the door, not without ensuring Waddles was in there with her, of course. He was glad that his decision to replace the door had actually come in handy.

Turning around briefly, he gave Bill the "I'm watching you" gesture. The blond sent a fierce glare at him, whereas Stan returned it by punching his palm. Bill wasted no time to flick him off without the slightest hint of modesty. In response, the con-man steadily sliced his neck with his finger threateningly. The ex-prince grabbed his own neck and feigned strangling it with both hands. To display a torture tactic, Stan pretended to pick each fingernail off gradually one by one. Bill grabbed his limbs and showed how he would twist them in a sickening manner.

"Uh," Mabel peeked her head out the door, "what're you two doing?"

They were both frozen in position. Stan was mocking a drowning person in a cage full of water, and Bill imagined as though blood was spilling from his stomach by a knife. Simultaneously becoming ramrod straight, they civilly waved each other goodbye with strained smiles. Once Bill had vanished, Mabel was chuckling, "What was that about, Grunkle Stan?"

"We were just talking, sweetie."

"I thought you talk with your mouth?"

"We were _just talking, sweetie_."

* * *

" _We'll get production rolling within the next few months. By then, your first check should come in."_

" _You'll be keeping me updated?"_

" _Of course."_

 _Ford grinned and shook the supervisor's hand. "It was good doing business with you!"_

" _You're changing the world, Mr. Pines. It's my honor."_

"So, you're saying, we're gonna be filthy rich soon?"

"Yep." Ford nodded. Stan whooped and cheered, making his twin snicker at his energy. The con-man collapsed onto his back, feeling the gritty wood against his old skin. "Ugh, finally. It was good while it lasted, but this old girl is gonna be hanging up pretty soon."

He patted the porch they were sitting on. Ford spoke calmly, "That's another thing. We can't just spend our money recklessly."

"Why not? We can live like royalty!"

"With this invention, I'm bound to gain publicity. If we take any wrong turns about our public image, it could severely damage our lives and the kids'."

"What? You think I'm gonna buy, like, a hundred golden crocs, or something?"

"The shoes?"

"No, _crocodiles_ , Stanford." Stan said sarcastically, "Yes, the shoes!"

"Look, I'm just saying that you need to be more… aware of others' lives, too."

Stan glared at the implication, and Ford swallowed nervously. That sounded bad. Nonetheless, Stan grumbled, "Fine."

The scientist breathed out, "Please understand that I'm just looking out for the kids. I mean, every time they get into some trouble, I feel like I'm about to go into cardiac arrest."

He placed a hand on his chest with a thoughtful look, "It's not a very good feeling."

"I get it, Poindexter. No unreasonable spending or whatever." Stan stated. "But we're not gonna pretend like we don't have money. Let's take more vacations and just treat ourselves nicely. We deserve that much, right?"

"Of course." Ford gave him an understanding smile. "Now let's head inside. It's cold out here."

Upon entering, they noticed the kids were not in the living room. Ford questioned his twin, "Where are they?"

"Playing some game. I'm gonna grab a drink."

Ford walked upstairs, then knocked on the door. A girly voice called from behind, "Who is it?!"

"Your great uncle Ford?"

She made the noise of a buzzer. "Wrong!"

Ford sighed and yielded, "Mr. One-finger-cooler-than-you."

The door swung open, revealing their renovated room. A variety of objects were hung around and displayed on the floor, intentionally placed to mimic a golf course. Mabel greeted him with a hug, "Grunkle Ford!"

"How was the business meeting thing?" Dipper questioned from inside the room. Ford patted Mabel's crown and answered his grandnephew, "It was fine. Expect some changes in the near future."

"What kind?" Dipper rested his club on his shoulder. Ford bounced his eyebrows, "The kind that starts with an 'M' and is fundamental in our society."

"...Moms?" Mabel guessed with puzzlement. Ford furrowed his eyebrows, "What? No."

"I think moms are pretty important." She insisted. "Okay, what about medicine?"

"Yes, that's also important, but it's still not what I'm thinking of."

"Music?"

"No."

"Muppets?"

"Those are old."

Dipper facepalmed, "Money, Mabel. He meant money."

As Mabel "ooh-ed" for eternity, Ford turned to Dipper and told him, "Get dressed. We're going to be leaving soon for work."

"Waking up early for mini golf is totally worth it." Dipper commented, before waving him off, "Alright, we just have one more course left."

Ford left them to their own devices. Mabel stuck her tongue out and waved her club menacingly, "You ready for this shot?"

"Five dollars that you won't get a hole in one."

"Five dollars, _and_ you have to say I'm the alpha twin."

He pointed at her. "You're on."

Just a moment later, Dipper was groveling, and Mabel was celebrating wildly.

"Oh! Oh oh oh oooh, oooh!" Mabel sang, before doing a nonsensical, exuberant dance while biting her lower lip. Dipper groaned into oblivion, gradually sliding onto his stomach. With his face in the floor, he handed Mabel a five.

"Guess I'm the true mini-golf champion, bro-bro." Mabel boasted.

He jumped onto his feet. "This was just one game!"

"Out of many!" Mabel grinned haughtily and pointed her thumb to herself. "I believe you owe me some words."

Dipper sneered with discomfort. "You're the alpha twin… in your dreams."

"Hey!"

"You didn't say what context it had to be in." He raised his hands with a smirk, simulating naivety.

"Be quiet," She whispered with emphasis, " _Mason_."

He visibly flinched. "Oh, my gosh, I haven't heard that name in years. No wonder I felt like I was forgetting something."

"You forgot your own name?"

"Well, when you're called by something else everyday since you were five, then, yeah." Dipper shuddered. "Feels like I have two different lives."

"Oh, wouldn't that be cool? Are you a superhero?"

"Not like that—"

"My name is Dipper Pines. I'm just your average fourteen-year-old boy. By day, I'm that nerdy, awkward Soul Fighter, but by night, I'm…" Mabel trailed off, building suspense. Her impression of him consisted of trying to make several voice cracks and a semi-deep tone. She did jazz hands, "... _Mason!_ "

She began to sing a familiar tune. "Dun nanananananana, dun nanananananana, _Mason!_ "

"Is there the slightest possibility that you could just _not?_ "

She spoke in a gruff tone, "I'm Mason, the hero Gravity Falls deserves, but doesn't need right now."

"Oh, come on, Mabel. You can't just sing a theme song and use a deep voice to cosplay as a superhero." Dipper berated, prompting her frown. He yanked the blanket from his bed and swept it over his back. Using his arm, the cloth draped over and hid his mouth. With his own gruff voice, he said, "This town needs me."

Mabel tied her own blanket around her neck. Her headband pushed back her hair, revealing her forehead. Licking her fingers, she pinched a short lock of hair and curled it in front of her forehead. She placed her hands on her hips and struck a heroic pose. "This looks like a job for SuperMabel!"

"No way!" Dipper continued with his husky impression, "You and I have to fight!"

"Why?" Mabel asked, even though they had both gotten into combat stances. Dipper paused, before saying, "...I'm not really sure, I didn't actually read or watch this far into the arc."

"Me neither!"

They both let a moment of awkward silence pass. Suddenly, they emitted battle cries and launched themselves at each other.

There was a crash, some tumbling, and a bump that made Stan almost drop his Pitt Cola. Curses flew out of his mouth as his heart rate accelerated from catching the sugary beverage by just using pure reflex.

After around ten minutes of their role-playing, the twins ended up on the floor, their limbs splayed around them. Dipper had glitter stuck to random parts on his face and body, whereas Mabel had stray streaks of ink on her skin. Staring up at the ceiling, they were content where they were, just choosing to revel in the silence. It didn't last forever, however.

"Why do you think Mom and Dad never told us about your powers?"

"Beats me." Mabel picked up a sheet of stickers from the floor. Peeling one off, she stuck an elephant to his forehead with a, "Boop!"

She pulled off a flamingo for herself and pressed it on her cheek. Dipper threw an arm over his eyes, "Was there something to be ashamed of? Trying to protect us… it didn't work. Didn't they know it was bound to fail?"

"Well, as far as I know, other people have had my weapon before, but I don't really think a lot of people knew."

"Really?!" Dipper lifted his arm to stare at her, but she was too busy taking out more stickers and putting them on her face. He sighed and let it descend over his eyes again. "Must have been just another tactic to keep you at peace…"

"Boop." Mabel stuck a hippopotamus onto his elbow. Dipper ignored it, only paying attention to the darkness and the shuffling of paper and peeling, "It really is funny, when you think about it. That we're the only ones to have survived."

"Doesn't sound like a good joke to me."

"And the reason they attacked in the first place was to find…" He trailed off, not wanting to spook his sister. Instead, he asked softly, "What is so special about us?"

"What's not?" She claimed, so he quieted down. "We knock the socks off of anyone who gets to meet us! And there's nothing wrong with being special, 'cus... normal is boring, anyway!"

Dipper continued to listen to her as she sat up, "We've got something people rarely have! Interesting personality! And if they can't see that, or understand it, then they can just call us the Mystery Twins!"

He snorted, until it broke out into a meek chuckle. He rose up, only to see Mabel's entire face covered in animal stickers. He laughed at the surprise, "You're right. We're a case the detectives will never solve! Mystery Twins?"

She smiled. "Mystery Twins!"

They high-fived, and when Dipper looked back down on his hand, there was an octopus sticker. He brushed off all the stickers and glitter and got on his feet. "I gotta go now."

"Do you know where your next mission might be?"

"I don't think I have one. Pacifica said she was doing something different today, so it was better I stayed in town. Hopefully, when I do get it, it'll somewhere warmer."

Mabel suggested frivolously. "What if you went all the way to Florida?"

"Florida?" Dipper tapped his chin and considered the idea, "I don't know… I've read some disturbing news reports about the 'Florida Man.' But then again, I do wanna see the Skunk Ape."

"Maybe it's him in disguise."

"Maybe." Dipper shrugged. They hurriedly washed themselves up and put on their day-to-day clothes. Although, they didn't bother cleaning up the attic, for they were lazy, and it could be done later. The young twins tracked down the steps, meeting their great uncles at the bottom. Ford had been casually discussing with Stan, but when the kids arrived, he turned around and cleared his throat, "So, we have a surprise guest for you, Mabel."

"Really? Who?"

Stan idly opened the front door, bringing the one, the only, Pacifica Northwest, into full view. Mabel gasped merrily, and Dipper only regarded the blonde with minimal shock. Ford clarified, "While Dipper and I are working, Pacifica will be here."

"Why?" Mabel and Dipper questioned in sync. Pacifica arched an eyebrow, "Because I'm going to get you started, dummy."

"Cool!" The female brunette exclaimed, whereas Dipper only glowered faintly. "Why you, exactly?"

"Got a problem with it?"

"Just curious." He answered, and she eyed his face for any deceit. Detecting nothing of the sort, she conceded.

"I thought it would be best that I give her a head start, seeing that her weapon is… special." Pacifica shrugged, "Plus, I had a… slight inkling that I _had_ to do it."

 _Pacifica woke up one day, some day earlier, feeling refreshed and ready for that particular day. When she opened her eyes, however, there were sticky notes covering her entire room. She laid there, unmoving, before pinching herself to check if she was still asleep. When she hadn't "woken up" from any dream, the headmistress scowled._

" _This has Cipher written all over it."_

 _And it wasn't the fact that the sticky notes were cut into triangles, or that they had small, single cat eyes in the middle. No, what gave it away was the floating blond outside her balcony, holding a sign up that boldly proclaimed "Teach Mabel Pines!" Despite her best attempts to ignore it all, only yanking the curtains close and calling for a maid to clear out her room, she ended up caving in._

 _And it wasn't that there were even more sticky notes leading to the kitchen where she went for breakfast. Oh, no; it was sitting down to eat a stack of blueberry pancakes, only to find that the blueberries had spelled out the very words that had been haunting her all morning. And to top it all off, her personal chef was Bill, wearing an apron and everything, with a snarky grin._

 _Pacifica sighed and relented._

After Ford and Dipper left, Stan had went inside to relax, saving his strength for when he had to begin training Mabel. Said girl was barely containing her excitement. "What do we do first?"

"First, you listen."

"Huh?"

"With your weapon, it's _very_ important that you learn control, at least at a basic level. To be honest, Mabel, I don't think you will ever be able to control the full extent of your powers, but I do think it's possible to control a large amount of it." Pacifica elaborated simply. She was sitting on the wooden porch with her knee over the other. "As a Soul Fighter, our weapons are made from soul essence. It's concentrated and unique to each person."

Mabel had calmed down enough to give the headmistress her full attention. Pacifica resumed, "Yours is raw and vague, but we'll try, anyway. I want you to copy what I do."

The blonde shut her eyes and breathed steadily. Interlocking her fingers together, she perched it upon her crossed legs. After a moment, she spoke, "Do you see, Mabel? I'm immersing myself with my environment, leaving nothing but my body behind."

She received no response. Opening one eye, she found herself staring at a jovial Mabel and an equally cheerful Waddles playing with a pile of dead leaves. Pacifica felt a tick mark on her forehead, "Pay attention!"

With a squeak, Mabel froze and Waddles scurried back inside the shack. Pacifica exhaled her irritation and directed her firmly.

"Stand still and close your eyes."

Mabel complied, placing her hands by her sides and only focusing on the noises around her. Pacifica said carefully, "There. Now, feel for your weapon. Feel the essence of your soul flowing through your body."

"I think I feel it…" Mabel remarked, slightly squeezing her eyes tighter. The headmistress smiled a little with success. "Good. Focus on that feeling."

The brunette's nose twitched, then twitched again, before she was suddenly sneezing loudly. She sniffed, "Nevermind, that was just an itch."

"...Gross," Pacifica scrunched her nose in distaste. She articulated each word, "Just try again, and this time, focus on the _right_ thing."

"How will I know if I got the _right_ thing?"

"Shh, sh sh sh." Pacifica hushed, "You'll know, because it'll be something you haven't felt before."

Mabel submitted to her orders and attempted to reach tranquility. She was silent, concentrating on diving deep within herself. Seeking for that spiritual connection, she found herself numb to her other senses. The sound of the forest was muffled, and the frigid air seemed to barely touch her. It was quite soothing, except, she was standing up. Maybe if she was lying down, it would be better. Perhaps—

"Hey!" Pacifica clapped, startling Mabel awake. "No sleeping!"

"Sleeping? I was going to reach it—whatever it is!"

"I was watching you doze off, Mabel."

"This is what I get for waking up early to play mini golf…" Mabel mumbled irately to herself. Pacifica remarked, "Mini golf? I play mini golf."

"Really? We should play sometime!"

"Might be a pleasant idea… if you weren't in the middle of a valuable _lesson!_ "

"Ugh!" Mabel plopped down onto the porch, "This is hard!"

"Oh, come on!" Pacifica huffed and rolled her eyes, "Where is your warrior spirit?"

"Gee, I wish I knew. Maybe I can give it a call!" She picked up her crystal communicator that was laying on the porch and tapped it a few times in random spots. "Beep boop boop beep!"

Pacifica glared. "Mabel—"

"Hold on," The female twin stuck the crystal up to her ear and held up one finger, effectively silencing her friend. Tilting her head to the side, Mabel faked a naive tone, "Oh, hey, Warrior Spirit! Just wanna ask where you are, seeing that I _need_ you right now! Oh, you're too busy at the moment trying to hit it up with some lady ghosts? No problemo, I'll just see you again _when cows fly!_ "

Slamming her crystal communicator on the wood, she made a disgruntled sound and folded her arms irritably. Pacifica arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow and slightly puckered her lips. With indifference, she corrected, "You know that the phrase is when _pigs_ fly—?"

"I messed up, okay?!" Mabel shouted with hot cheeks. She nearly flew out of her skin when the crystal started to emit a chime. Answering the call, she answered normally, "Hello?"

There was strained laughter in the background. Grunkle Ford sighed, " _You do realize that you actually called me, right?_ "

Mabel groaned and rubbed her face. "Oh, crud, what happened?"

" _Ask him._ " Grunkle Ford held the crystal close to a wheezing Dipper, who was banging his fist on the desk. The male twin gasped for air, " _W-Warrior Spirit with lady g-ghosts! Pfft, haha, oh, man, is he a pimp? Is that his_ — _his pimp name?!_ "

Grunkle Ford groaned as Mabel accidentally broke out laughing. "Okay, Grunkle Ford, you gotta admit. It's pretty funny to imagine."

Albeit her tiny smile, Pacifica snatched the communicator out of her hand and spoke sternly. "Even though I'm not there, that doesn't give you a right to slack off! Get to work! And you better not be wasting your time playing chess!"

" _Ah, yeah, sure._ " Dipper sniffed and wiped away a tear. " _Hang in there._ "

"Thanks!" Mabel yelled to be heard. Dipper snickered, " _It was for the both of you._ "

"Yeah, you're the worst." Pacifica stuck her tongue out at nothing. He feigned hurt, " _Ouch, I think you're the worst when you insult me after I graciously encourage you_."

"Nerd."

He smirked. " _That was uncalled for, Northwest_."

"Oops, here's my apology."

She hung up the call with a content hum. Mabel felt giddy all over, "Oooh, when you guys get married, I'm definitely gonna plan your wedding."

Pacifica stifled how flustered she became from those words. "Honestly, what is with you and your weird imagination?!"

"I can't help it! I see it, and I just have to…!" Mabel interlocked both hands and shook them in front of her face. "And plus, it can be a way for me to make up to him by pushing him towards Wendy, which ended tragically."

"When did you do that?" Pacifica asked suspiciously. Mabel responded with a hint of nervousness, "It was for the Valentines' Day fair."

The blonde grimaced and shook her head. "Don't make things so weird. It only complicates stuff. Besides, we don't have time for… dating and all that when we're focused on keeping the world safe from some upcoming trouble."

"Oh, yeah? Like what?"

"Just guessing from some personal experiences." Pacifica briefly recalled the pink demon that she had encountered and Leaderaur attempting to kill her. Some demon was specifically targeting her, and the reason was obvious: her position in rank and power. The attacks would only get worse, wouldn't they? Mabel drew out cheerfully, oblivious to Pacifica's instantaneous anxieties, "Well, I'm not hearing a no!"

This reeled her away from her racing mind. "A no for what?"

"A no for liking my bro-bro!"

"How long do I have to spell this out for you?!" Pacifica whirled on her heel and crossed her arms. "As if I would take interest in someone with no class and all nerd!"

Mabel pouted and threw her arms downwards. "Aw, come on!"

"Why does this even matter to you?!"

" _Because,_ " The brunette relaxed slightly, "you said it yourself. The world is gonna be brewing with some trouble in the future. You really wanna live to the end without telling Dipper just _how much you looove him_ —"

"Which I _don't!_ "

"Even though I confessed to Bill, but we're not dating, I'm still happy."

"Oh, please, you two are all over each other," Pacifica pointed out, causing Mabel to flush scarlet. She mentioned, "Besides, you're almost always happy."

Mabel let out an offended gasp and placed a hand on her chest. "How dare you compliment me!"

"Take it like a man. Now, come on, you have work to do, too."

After multiple endeavors, Mabel was laying face down on the grassy ground, and Pacifica was actually running out of schemes. The brunette flipped onto her back and cried out, "This is hopeless!"

"You don't mean that."

"I know. I just wanted to try saying it." Mabel crawled her way to the porch and sat down heavily. She groaned with indignation. "But this _is_ actually hard. Why is it so hard?!"

Mabel held her cheeks, and Pacifica hummed with deep consideration. She didn't believe that the girl was _that_ incompetent to just basic sensing of her own soul essence. It was probably an internal problem, a psychological one. Clapping her hands together, she pointed them to the brunette. "Do you know what drives Soul Fighters, Mabel? What makes them?"

Mabel juggled a few answers in her head. "Their cool weapons…?"

"Sure," She hopped onto her feet and stretched her arms. Weaving her hand through the air with fluid motion, Pacifica directed, almost hypnotically, "but think about the intent. There is a desire to protect, the desire to fight, the desire to succeed. What's your desire?"

"Do I have one?" Mabel swung her legs over the edge and said casually, "I'm just doing what I gotta to do."

Pacifica placed her hands on her hips, "What's that, then?"

"...I don't know?" She hesitated, "Learning how to control this?"

"For no reason at all? Just going with the flow of things?" Pacifica slowly twirled on one foot as she spoke in a tedious manner. Halting to face her, she cocked an eyebrow, "And here, I had assumed you were more dedicated than that."

Mabel frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you're a dull child, hun." Pacifica rolled off of her tongue, "You're just doing what you're told."

"Hey! That's not… totally true!" Mabel felt a sting of pain while raising a fist. "I just need some help now, and then I'll be able to do stuff on my own!"

"What's the point if you aren't into it?" Pacifica asked her. The brunette fell silent, observing her friend gaze at her with calm eyes. She waited, but nothing. "Well?"

"Ugh, I don't know!" Mabel collapsed onto her back, her legs flying upwards, before swinging back under the porch. Swaying them continuously, she flattened herself and stretched her arms out beside her. There was a deep breath, "I just got this, okay? Then, whenever I begin to know more, I end up getting confused all over again!"

Pacifica inhaled, nodding to her words. She understood those feelings. Being beyond puzzled, searching for evading answers, a directionless mindset. The blonde relaxed and decided to take it easy on her, "Look, Mabel, just because someone has... something, it doesn't mean that they want it. Soul Fighting is an acquired occupation, but it's based on each individual person. What makes them, them? What gives them power? Take your brother, for instance."

"Dipper?" Mabel mused, "He was really inspired to protect after the death of our parents. From there, he just… grew."

Pacifica smiled to herself, then moved to sit down next to her. She clasped her hands on her lap and began steadily, "When I was younger, I aspired to succeed. My parents are dingbats with raising a child and being approving of one, so it made me strive to be the best. And it worked. I did succeed, and only I could confirm that for myself once I became the headmistress."

"But your parents still suck…?" Mabel left it open for correction. Pacifica only shrugged.

"Yeah, but I realized that it… it… didn't really matter in the end." She cleared her throat and looked upwards, hiding her eyes, "I just became used to most of their disappointment and my self-assurance, which was no big deal, really. Although, things are sort of starting to look up, I think."

Mabel looked down at the palms of her hands. Contemplating, her mind soaked in what she had taken from their conversation and connected it to what she already knew. Dipper fought to protect, Pacifica fought to succeed, and even Bill was fighting now to regain what he had lost. Her friends were also in training, and her great uncles had probably wanted a way to defend themselves and to take the offensive. She briefly thought back to her discussion with Dipper after her weird dream encounter with Bill.

And then, she recalled: _Help_.

She wanted to help the people she cared about. Even before her powers debut, she had always been able to help whoever needed it if she could provide it. This was just a way to help Bill, to help millions of creatures, ranging from the fairies to humans, in a way that could change their lives for the better.

Mabel shot up suddenly. "I want to help."

"Eh?!" Pacifica broke free from her own stupor. Realizing what she said, Pacifica mustered up a smile, "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, for realz!" Mabel landed on her feet and began to move with great zeal. "I'll train so hard, you won't even know it's me! And then when I'm ready, everyone will see me burning!"

"Knitting sweaters won't be training, by the way."

"Ha, that's funny!" Mabel threw her head back. She was taken aback at Pacifica's seriousness. "Wait, you're kidding, right?"

"Oh, hun, you have a lot to go through." The blonde shook her head fondly. She gazed up at the grey sky. "The world is a dangerous place."

Mabel recalled the hungry stares of Mermando and the mermaids, the jerks that were the unicorns, the kids that bullied her and her brother, the monsters and demons lurking in the darkness. The decimation of her city, and the death of her parents.

She gave a bittersweet smile. "Yeah, I know."

And then she thought about Dipper, and her great uncles, and Waddles, and Bill, and Pacifica, and Candy, Grenda, Soos… The wonderful things she had seen and would never forget. Her scrapbook made sure of that. She wouldn't trade away anything for her new mystical home called Gravity Falls.

Mabel straightened her form and closed her eyes. "I'll try, anyway!"

* * *

With a hiss, the opening revealed itself like an ancient machine. Down below, it was eerie and dim, forgotten by the one man who had used it before. The invader slowly stepped down each step, before stopping where he had desired to be. Despite the dirtiness and foreboding vibes, he stayed right where he was. After tinkering with a few buttons and switches, the setting was complete.

Adrian peered through the foggy glass, neutral eyes analyzing the creature within. It only stared back expectantly.

"Let's make a deal."

A gruff, muffled cackle. "After all these years, you don't change."

"Not my job, is it?"

"Oho, you're simply too good. What do you have in mind?"

"Tell me," Adrian's hand glided over the thick glass, "do you that know there's more than one way to destroy someone?"

* * *

"It's almost Christmas! Just a few days from now before I get wondrous presents!" Mabel bounced around the living room, throwing ruby and green sparkles around. Dipper was busy hanging up the stockings, pinning each one carefully above the fish tank. He spluttered and frantically wiped at his face when little specks flew in front. She cried, "Christmas!"

"Gah! Mabel!" Dipper clawed at his eyes. "They sting!"

"The sting of Christmas!"

Mabel put down the bucket of glitter and sighed, "Oh, if only Bill would be here during this time. Then maybe I could have snuck him under the mistletoe."

Dipper rubbed the sparkles out of his eyes. "Speaking of the blond idiot, where is he?"

"Travelling the world, telling creatures that he's gonna rule over them again."

"Wait, what?" Dipper paused what he was doing to look at her, "What do you mean 'again'?"

"Oh, right, I had to tell you guys this. I forgot again, whoops." Mabel smacked her head lightly, before explaining briefly, "Bill isn't who you thought he was. And he didn't know that, either, until just recently."

"What happened?"

"His memories were locked away, but when I kissed him, it destroyed the curse." Mabel described with great passion. "He even showed me some of his memories. Do you know he's actually, like, thousands of years old?"

Dipper made a face of disgust, before inquiring, "What'd he show you?"

"Uh…" Mabel tapped her chin. She decided against revealing any explicit details that she deemed too personal. "Well, we went really far back in time, all the way from his original home to 120 years ago. He was never actually a dream-demon, but the prince of a kingdom in this other realm! He had been cursed to live for eternity, but he used that time to gather all the other creatures to escape on Earth."

"A prince? No wonder his head is so big for some mediocre demon… It must've carried over, anyway."

"A bigger head just means there's more to love!"

"That's not what I meant." Dipper puckered his lips, "You sure he didn't make this entire thing up?"

"Positive. It was… too real to be fake. If you were there, you'd agree." Mabel told him, washing away his doubt. "Plus, I saw how some of the stuff back then worked. People used to think the Earth was flat! And we actually have an eight and a half president named Quentin Trembley!"

Astounded, Dipper's face had also lit up with fascination. Then, his first thoughts were replaced by a much more significant one. He laid out his open palm as the thought occurred to him, "Why was his memories locked away?"

"Oh!" She seethed, "It was this stupid demon named Adrian! He ruined Bill's… everything! He took over everything!"

"Adrian?"

"Yeah," She gesticulated to herself, "looks like a human with purple hair, and even purple eyes!"

Dipper imagined him for a second, then was struck with realization. His eyes widened as the image became crystal clear. Mabel had to wave her hand in front of his face, yet to no avail. He abruptly latched onto her shoulders and spoke urgently.

"He… He's the one that sent Leaderaur after Pacifica!"

Mabel was bewildered. "What?!"

"Yeah! And he even knew my name, which was creepy. Plus, the whole 'standing and staring' thing was weird, too."

"Wow…" She commented facetiously, "He must have a thing for targeting classy, blonde people…"

"Mabel! This is important!" Dipper was very avid as he expounded from the new information. "Adrian is now the ruler of some realm, and he goes for Pacifica, of all people? Yet, he didn't outright go for her and just take her out right away. He sent Leaderaur to her home, almost killing her parents, almost killing me! He even kept Bill alive after ruining everything for him, just for the heck of it…"

"What does that mean?" She asked, slightly afraid of the answer. Dipper eyed her, before tapping his chin repeatedly, "It means he's toying with us, Mabel. He's trying to break us. And I think he had already done that to Bill, before you came along."

"Why would he do that, though…?"

"I…" Dipper felt the dots in his head connect at a rapid pace. "I think it's a plan to weaken our guards… so that he can attack."

The room dropped into dead silence. They weren't staring at each other. Dipper had his eyes on the floor, and Mabel was gazing out the window. The snow softly descended to the ground, where it would amass into a flat sheet of white. After a while, Dipper said quietly, "I have to tell Pacifica."

"...We'll have to tell Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford when they come back."

"What about Bill?"

Mabel hesitated. "I have a hunch that he might already know."

Without warning, the door burst open and banged against the wall. Stan cheered, unknowingly breaking the tense atmosphere, "We're home, ya runts!"

"We bought food!" Ford also stepped into the shack, before shutting the door behind him. The two great uncles looked down at the kids, who were pale and somber. There was a passing of silence while they just gazed at each other, as if trying to communicate through their eyes. Stan blinked, unaware of the issue, "Did our axolotls die?"

He briskly checked the fish tank, yet the happy amphibians were still alive and well. Dipper shook his head, "No, we just have to tell you guys something important."

"Well, you can tell us over the food." Stan indicated with a wave of his hand, "Afterwards, Poindexter has an activity for us."

"Oh, yes! I think you'll both enjoy this." Ford piped up eagerly as the family made their way to the table. While Stan passed out plates and utensils, Ford elucidated on his arrangement, "It's been some time since we've had the opportunity to explore together. So, I'll be taking us out to see a marvelous site!"

"Really? Yes!" Dipper grinned from ear to ear. Mabel smiled as well, until she nudged him, "That's cool, but what about the, um, the _thing?_ "

"Oh, right!" Dipper proceeded to narrate to their great uncles about what he and his sister had been talking over earlier during their dinner. When he told them that Bill was a prince, Ford had dropped his fork in astonishment. When he said that Adrian was after Pacifica and had ruined Bill, Stan spat out his Pitt Cola, laughing. Ford groused and stood up to get napkins. His twin jested, "Does he have something against blondes?"

"That's what I said!" Mabel added while she chewed. Dipper clapped his hands to regain their attention, "Guys, come on! I have to explain why he did all this!"

"Dipper is right. Don't you find this odd?" Ford came back to this room, dry and crisp, and asked his twin. "It must be a strategic move for a future step…"

"Exactly!" Dipper nodded. "It's a guess, but I think Adrian is gonna try to attack soon!"

"Attack Gravity Falls?" Stan snorted, "For what? The only actual noticeable thing about this town is the high number of mythical creatures, and that the headmistress of the academy is an eight-year-old."

"She's thirteen." Mabel corrected, confused. Stan narrowed his eyes at her, as if that would help him see better. "How old are you?"

"Listen, kids," Ford interrupted. He kneeled down to their height, "I enjoy seeing you involve yourself with these dire subjects, but right now, I want you both to take it easy and just follow me."

The younger twins exchanged glances, before nodding obediently. Ford smiled, "Excellent! Now, I want you two to stuff your bags with as much survival gear as possible, put on your thickest clothing, and then we'll be on our way!"

Soon enough, the Pines were on a trek towards their destination, located somewhere deep in Oregon's forests. Equipped with heavy coats and layers of clothing, they found it drastically help them through the weather. It was freezing, for the wind left no inch of the skin of their faces untouched, and the thick snow seemed to seep through their boots. Mabel would occasionally grunt and reposition the hefty pack on her shoulders. Dipper was facing the same difficulty, yet fewer times than she, although he had stocked on more supplies than deemed necessary. She only huffed, entertained and incredulous, at his ardor.

The younger twins dutifully followed after their great uncles. Nearing closer to the highland, they began to hear an odd cluster of whispers, so very faint, like a passing breeze.

"What… is that?" Mabel scanned the area, anticipating to find another creature. However, there was nothing alive in sight nor nearby. Ford halted at the base of a massive, steep hill, where the boundary was an even thicker forest. "That's the sound of the mountain."

"What?" The younger twins said in unison. Ford nodded. "Living beings tend to avoid loitering or inhabiting around here so that they aren't tempted by the mountain's beckoning."

"What is this place?" Dipper asked.

"This is the Mountain of Youth, said to appear exactly the same when viewed by all sides. It doesn't matter what time of day, nor where you stand outside of the mountain. And it doesn't appear to ever change geographically." Ford spoke with great admiration. "Legend has it that a powerful being that could grant people's desires had hidden himself away into this mountain, for they sought to slay him in hopes of gaining those magical properties."

"So he enchanted an entire landmark?!" Dipper said keenly. "That's awesome!"

"Well, yes, sure." Ford shrugged. "But the curse was so strong, people who enter have nearly no way to come out."

"Oh…" Dipper stopped bouncing. Mabel tilted her head. "'Nearly?'"

Ford pointed a finger, "Yes, there is one clue to escape, provided by the muddled whispering of the wind. With meticulous analyzing, I decrypted the words: _The land lost in time._ I've also deciphered a few more words, but they're written in my journal. Yet, I'm unsure as to how this phrase may lead to egress."

"How much time did you have on your hands?" Mabel questioned. Ford shrugged, "Hey, I'm a free-spirited man that can decide what to do with my own time."

"Ha, no kidding…" Dipper snickered. It was pitifully blunt that he had not spent most of his years being social. The older man placed his hands on his hips, "You're thinking bad about me, aren't you?"

All, except for a certain scientist, giggled at the implication. Without warning, another sound invaded their ears and drifted through the eerie ambience. Their laughter died down almost instantly, like a paper lit aflame.

"Hey, do you hear that?" Mabel asked Dipper in a hushed voice. They both waited to receive a clearer idea of the sound.

"Is that… a banjo?" Dipper mused. Ford froze in his step, a horrified expression on his face. "Kill Billies?!"

"Those guys?" Stan groaned momentarily, before he was tackled to the ground. Overcoming his initial jolt, a gleam shone on his hand as he pitched back and welted the feral creature right in its face with his brass knuckles. In pain, it scrambled off of the old man and stumbled backwards. From beyond the woods and out the shadows, a horde of bloodthirsty hill men rushed out. Dipper yelped, "I thought that there were no other creatures?!"

"There shouldn't be—"

Ford had tried to say, yet his voice was drowned out by the hissing and growling of Kill Billies and the frightened screams of his family. Whipping out his gun in a flash of light, he shot a few to wound them, just to suppress their advances. Nonetheless, more replaced the others, and within moments, they were encompassed by them. Ford took a quick sniff of the air and questioned frantically, "Is somebody bleeding?!"

Rapidly, they all checked themselves for any signs of crimson liquid. Finding nothing, Ford decided to focus on the task at hand. "Nevermind that. We have to stick together, so everyone, press your backs and cover all angles—"

His ankle was caught in a grip, and instantly, he was dragged into the mass of vicious predators. Panic-stricken, Dipper called out to the direction his great uncle disappeared in, "Grunkle Ford!"

"No, Dipper!" With one hand on Mabel, Stan had tried to snatch his grandnephew, but his fingers barely grazed his clothing. Dipper darted into the fray, his person instantaneously becoming hidden from the cluster of frenetic bodies. Unexpectedly, there was a sharp pain in his wrist, and he cried out as he released Mabel. A Kill Billy had attached its teeth to his flesh. With fury, Stan kneed it in its jaw, prompting it to release him. The blood poured from his injury and the mouth of the creature. He popped open and gulped down a potion, wiping his mouth as the liquid worked its magic. Recognition struck him like a bombshell as he feverishly scanned the vicinity for his grandniece.

"They're everywhere!" Mabel shouted and threw down her swelling bag onto the ground. She didn't waste time looking down into her bag as she hurled a myriad of items at the savage beasts. Her hand brushed the handle of her grappling hook, and she yanked it out to aim it at one of the Kill Billies. Pulling the trigger, the grapnel of her gun jabbed it in the face. Evading the swipe of another, she rolled underneath its legs and kicked its back, sending it sprawling on the ground. Her grasp on the grappling gun was released as she was hoisted by her arms from behind. The horrid breath was right next to her ear, and she screamed as she felt fangs graze her neck. "Help!"

"Mabel!" Dipper whirled around to try and spot his sister. He punched one in the face, yet it only gripped onto his wrist and tried to bite his knuckles. In a panic, he waved his fist around to keep it out of its bloodthirsty mouth, and continued to kick another Kill Billy that tried to bite him from the other side.

"Stanley! The kids!" Ford shouted from across the area. He attempted to shoot the Kill Billy off of Dipper, but ended up missing due to one sinking its teeth into his leg. With a pained grunt, Ford aimed his gun downwards and shot straight at the creature, where it released him instantly. Blood was pouring out of the wound, and thanks to adrenaline, he was only feeling half the pain. There was no time to even pull out a potion to heal as more kept jumping onto him, desiring the fresh blood.

Stan gave an infuriated cry as he himself was surrounded. On one end of the vicinity, there was Dipper, and on the other, was Mabel. His brother was handling himself, but for how much longer, he didn't know. His steps were jittery and hesitant, unable to decide when and where to run to. He knocked a Kill Billy out cold and yelled, "Why couldn't you two have been in the same place?!"

"Stanley!" Ford took a shot with each word, "Now… is... not… the... time!"

"You're right! There's no time at all!"

"Just move!"

Stan's eyes switched back and forth between the two kids. "Move where!?"

Ford felt his cheek dribble with blood, and his vision went slightly blurry with tears. "JUST MOVE, DAMN IT!"

Stan howled. " _I CAN'T!_ "

Mabel's ears rang from the mix of constant noises. Her breathing became ragged and heavy, yet she still closed her eyes, desperation swelling in her chest. She begged inwardly, _Please, work. Please._

Her skin begin to feel like it was lighting on fire. She squeezed her eyes tighter and focused on that feeling. The moment the pressure on her neck nearly punctured through her skin, she let out a battle cry. There was a pained shriek behind her as the Kill Billy writhed on the ground. Others nearby had also felt the wave of her weapon, the searing on their skin sent them staggering backwards. Plummeting on her knees, Mabel watched as the Kill Billy that tried to drink her blood suffered the severe burns on its skin, clawing at itself to stop the scorching pain. She panted heavily, immediately feeling the aftereffects from releasing that burst of energy.

Outraged, the unaffected Kill Billies bared their fangs and bounded towards the unguarded girl. If not for Stan's intervention, she would have been nothing but a bag of flesh and bones.

During her attack, Dipper had freed himself and taken down the two that were attacking him. He checked to make sure that Mabel was safe and that Stan had it covered, before sighing in relief.

Out of nowhere, a Kill Billy seized him from behind. For a split second, he expected the worst, to feel his blood being drawn from his veins. Yet, there was no sharp teeth on his skin. Instead, it hurled him into the enchantment of the mountain. Dipper yelped as he fell into the coverage of the mountain's forest.

"Dipper! _NO!_ " Ford's voice called out in despair. He sought to take revenge, but the Kill Billy responsible had vanished without a trace.

Dipper swiftly picked himself up and bounded out of the woods, or at least, he tried to. Surprisingly, he was standing somewhere higher up on the mountain. If he looked down, there was the slope of the mountain speckled with trees. If he turned around, it would lead upwards to the peak. Which… made no sense. He had just been at the bottom a few moments ago! His raised sword drooped downwards while he could only say questioningly, "Huh?"

Dipper broke into a sprint as he bolted down the mountain. But after time and time again, he didn't seem any closer to the bottom, or any farther from the top. Growling with frustration, he sliced a tree to mark his progress, then continued. Despite his plan, he still didn't seem to progress, yet he also hadn't detected his marked tree.

Only after a few moments did he realize that all of the trees eerily appeared the same. The equal amount of branches, height, probably even the leaves, and the snow that rested upon them. He furrowed his eyebrows and turned around, only to see that he had left no footprints in the snow. Dipper came to a standstill as realization dawned upon him. He was caught in the enchantment.

"You've gotta be kidding!" Dipper kicked the snow with much fervor. He groaned and sat on his behind roughly, trying to think of a way off the mountain. What was it that Grunkle Ford had said?

 _A land lost in time._

He pulled out the journal and began skimming through the pages for the other words that his Grunkle Ford had decoded. Meanwhile, he was reflecting over that single phrase. Obviously, the land it was talking about had to be the mountain, right? And the way it never changed meant it was stuck in time, or rather, unable to progress in it. Just as he began to make associations with the words, something impeded him.

An abrupt thought sprang into his overwrought mind. He was trapped in a spell that no one else had been able to break out of. He could be here for hours, days, or months. Even years, or just about the rest of his life, however long that may be. People usually should have died by starvation or thirst. The mountain had no other creatures on it, anyway.

Or, that's what he believed.

"Hey, dude, why're you just sitting there?"

"AH!" Dipper twisted around and kicked himself away.

There was Wendy, bending over with her hands on her knees. She was staring at him with a curious look.

"Are you okay?"

Her voice chimed like a series of timed bells, loud and echoing in his ears, in which he had to hold his head from it. Although she was in front of him, the source sounded… unnatural.

"Dipper!"

His eyes snapped open, yet she was gone. There were no footprints indicating where she had just been standing a few moments ago. He was alone once more.

Dipper stood up shakily, feeling chills running all around his skin, and not just from the cold. He surveyed the area and tried to look past the falling snow. His breathing quickened, feeling a very familiar fear building up in his chest. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of someone else walking away. The boy gritted his teeth and mustered up his courage.

"Hey! Wait!" Dipper yelled, running after what appeared to be a tall man. "I'm stuck here too!"

He jumped on the branches, attempting to find him from above. Regardless, once he glanced behind him, he saw the man going in another direction. Dipper growled with annoyance because of the chase. In pursuit of the man, he had failed to catch himself from tripping as he caught the man strolling towards a completely new path.

"We can help each other!" Dipper exclaimed. The man stood at a distance from him and hadn't resumed his pace. The young boy could see the black slickness of his fancy clothing, and a blur of violet for his head. Although he was extremely familiar, it wasn't enough to get him thinking. He grinned and kept sprinting, "Yeah, then we can both leave—"

Unable to help himself, he stumbled on his feet again and rammed right into the man. The collision had him shaking his head, but he was more concerned for who he had just bumped into. Dipper mumbled, "Ah, sorry about that!"

He opened his eyes and let out a small shriek.

Pacifica was laying underneath him. However, she was relaxed and unmoving. Her eyes were closed while her chest rose up and down, almost… too slowly.

Dipper felt an unidentifiable pain in his chest. "Pacifica…? Are you okay?"

She didn't respond. Her hand gradually reached out, and he felt the urge to hold it, to tell her everything would be fine. So he complied to his desires.

Her hand was icy, but light. It was like holding his own frosty breath of air. From the looks of it, she wouldn't survive for long. She would die in these freezing conditions.

"H-Hey… it's gonna be f-fine…"

His voice held no resolve.

"We'll m-make it out…"

He felt tears brimming in his eyes.

"I…"

He closed his eyes, and he already felt her grasp disappear completely. He didn't need to open his eyes to know that she wasn't truly there.

Dipper felt hot tears on his cheeks.

"This isn't real…" He gave a shuddering breath. "Everyone is _fine_."

Staring upwards, the blank sky pelted him with tiny snowflakes.

"Only… I'm not…"

For the first time, he was wholly and completely _alone_. There was no great uncles to assist him. No sister to support him. No friends to keep him company. And Pacifica wasn't here to help him out with any monstrous being. Although he could begin to take down dark and evil creatures that hungered for violence, how would he rid himself of these crushing fears from the inside? They were just as _horrendous_.

He slammed his hand onto the snow and let out a strangled cry. Dipper was exhausted from feeling helpless all the time. Despite what he's succeeded thus far, he still thought of his failures and anxieties. He couldn't last without assistance. He couldn't take down Gideon by himself. He couldn't take down Giffany by himself. He couldn't take down Leaderaur by himself.

And _yet_ , he desperately wanted to protect those dear to him.

Over and over and _over,_ he would state his resolve.

And in the end, here he was, crying in the snow!

 _I can't stay here forever—I can't_ _ **stay**_ _like_ _ **this**_ _forever—_

Dipper halted his distressed thoughts. He knew—He was _confident_ that he could find a way out of this spell, but he'd been distracting himself with trying to find aid—aid that surely would not come. If he was to _ever_ be able to reach his goal of being strong or protecting the people he cared about, he needed to accomplish conquering obstacles by himself. He shouldn't have to always depend on others in order to come out victorious. With determined eyes, he secured the hat on his head and lifted his mound of necessities. He recognized that this was his fight, his _alone_ , and that there was no way he'd lose to a _mountain_.

"Thanks, you big hunk of rock." Dipper muttered. He began to run through what he already knew about the mountain, and how it applied to the saying.

 _A land lost in time._

All he had seen so far were people he knew. The first one was Wendy, who had only visited him briefly, and sent his head into a temporary headache. The second one must have been Adrian, now that he thought about it. The violet hair was a dead giveaway, but what reason would he have to conjure an image of him? An illusion that had constantly made him give chase, never present where Dipper thought he would be.

Then there was Pacifica, laying eerily. He didn't want to remember that any further.

Dipper inhaled deeply, before marching forward into the wintry unknown. He'd escape, no matter what.

* * *

It had seemed to be just an hour after the brawl.

Outside of the mountain's enchantment, the rest of the Pines were encircled by ruby blood that painted the white snow. There were no other creatures except them. The aura contained tired panting and awful despondency. Ford was on his hands and knees, almost as though he would collapse on himself at any moment. Stan was facing the other way, combing his hands through his hair and fixing his hat nonstop. Mabel couldn't take her pounding heartbeat, how it suffocated her from the inside. She held her hands together and questioned out loud, terrified, "Is Dipper going to be okay?"

There was no response from Ford, but Stan had tried somewhat, "He isn't dead, at least."

Ford gritted his teeth at the frankness. " _At least?_ "

The two old men were now staring each other down. Mabel felt her heart lurch at the sudden hostility from their gazes, but they paid her no mind, only intending to give each other a piece of theirs. Stan was fuming, "Well, isn't this great? Good going, Poindexter! You just had to get all of us almost killed!"

The air was still and ominous, carrying a heavy trace of iron, left behind by the fierce struggle. Mabel almost gagged at the smell, pulling her scarf around her nose. Ford was only focused on Stan, "We lost Dipper thanks to you! He may never get out of that mountain!"

"Don't you _dare_ pin that on me!" Stan felt a rage that he hadn't felt in decades. "You know that we couldn't help him in time!"

" _You_ moved too _slow!_ " Ford shouted at him, equally livid. Now that he had healed himself, there was no pain to smother the force into his voice. "You could have saved both of them!"

"That's bullshit, Stanford!"

"No, you're just shit, Stanley!"

"Guys—! Don't—" Mabel tried to cut in, but her voice was only drowned out by their screaming match. She hadn't seen them argue like this before. "Please—"

"And you think you're _better_ than me?!"

"It's not hard to be! You should've known that years ago!"

"Oh, yeah, rub it in! That you were just _so_ smart! Well, look at you now!"

"Whose fault is that?! Huh?! Because it's not mine!"

"Don't you dare—"

"I thought you already knew how to not mess up this badly, but apparently, I was wrong." Ford snarled, "You did even _worse._ "

"You son of a bitch!" Stan grabbed him by his turtleneck. Before he could land a punch, Mabel had leaped in between the two old men and held her hands up. Stan nearly fell forward trying to stop himself, "Kid, don't do that!"

"You're gonna get _another_ one of our kids in danger—?!"

" _Stop it!_ " Mabel shouted at the top of her lungs. The vicinity fell into silence, for even the whispering wind seemed to have quiet down. "With Dipper gone, you're just gonna fall apart?! Everything you're saying… it's _not_ helping!"

She slackened her shoulders. "It's just… scary."

The tension began to clear from the air. The two older twins began to calm their minds of the fury, only to be filled with guilt and melancholy. They felt _horrible_ , mentally kicking themselves for losing Dipper, needing someone to blame, someone to feel their wrath. And yet, they were only making it worse for the remaining sibling. Ford and Stan exchanged a look of mutual understanding. Stan placed a soothing hand on her shoulder, "It's… it's a hell of a story. We'll tell you and Dipper one day."

She sniffed. "What is?"

"Our stories, and the past between my brother and me."

"'My brother and _I.'_ " Ford corrected and cleared his throat. Stan mumbled, "Yeah, whatever."

Mabel frowned. "Can't you guys at least hug it out?"

Stan curled his lip. "Ugh, kid—"

"C'mon, hugs make everything better!"

Ford deadpanned, "Dear, no."

"You've never tried it, I bet. Go and hug!" Mabel stood on her tippy toes and stretched her hands upwards. "The hug train is boarding the station! Hug-a-palooza!"

Her great uncles refused to move towards each other. She stayed in that form. "My arms are getting tired."

With one look at each other, they simultaneously groaned as they embraced curtly. Stan waved carelessly, "There, ya happy?"

The crunching of snow reached their ears. Turning their heads towards the source, their eyes couldn't believe what they were seeing. Mabel felt hers even gloss a little from all the relieved anxiety she felt.

"Dipper, you made it out!" Mabel ran up to him and grabbed his shoulders ecstatically, jiggling his humongous backpack. Immediately, she felt nauseous, like stopping after spinning around for a few minutes. He only laughed and lowered her hands, "Yeah, it was pretty bad. I had to lose a few stuff, and there's some pretty _disturbing_ things in there."

Mabel shivered. His hands were freezing without gloves, but then again, it was cold, after all. She briefly wondered how he had torn up his gloves in the process of searching for the exit.

"I'm surprised you escaped so early. Did you figure out the saying?"

"Yep," Dipper smiled, "it was actually _easy!_ "

She smiled back, before she shuddered again from the frigid air. The wind picked at her ear, but she was too numb to feel it. The Mystery Shack was just calling for them to come back and embrace its warmth! Ford also had a smile spread across his face, "I'm amazed, my boy. You really are a young genius!"

"Come on, you runt." Stan ruffled Dipper's hair teasingly. "Let's go home."

The young boy sighed blissfully, glad he was able to cleave to his family.

* * *

 **Lots and lots and lots and lots to read!**

 **Anyway, I wanna talk about ships real quick.**

 **When I first started shipping dipcifica, there was no one. Literally,** _ **no one.**_ **I mean, I didn't even see it at first. Maybe that one thing of fanart here and there, and that one blog dedicated to this ship that had nothing, but it had barely any support. Nonetheless, I discovered the potential, I saw the beauty of those one or two fanart, and fell in love. I could have went for candip or wendip, but I didn't. I guess I love those ships that seem impossible to most but are actually possible with the right development and understanding. Luckily, the dipcifica episode came out, and I was beyond amazed to find the explosion in fans for the ship. I barely experienced such a thing before, so it really was magical.**

 **Mabill is a… different story, I suppose. I have honestly** _ **no idea**_ **how I began shipping it. I saw a Korean fan art and thought it was the cutest thing, I think. And soon after, I just scrolled through fanfics and art and thought,** _ **this is actually really cute!**_ **And so came my love. Despite their lack of interaction when compared to Bill and Dipper or Ford, I saw Mabill as… well, the most likely to turn into a "bad guy goes good for someone," if Gravity Falls would have gone down that path, which it didn't, and I'm perfectly okay with that, because I felt they interacted differently. Based on the journal, he liked her better, because she could match his craziness. And then from there, he could learn to… care… but that sounds really cheesy, too cheesy for Gravity Falls. Which is why my fanfic is different.**

 **Yay for fanfics!**

 **Ah, the point of me saying all this was: Nothing.**

 **I don't believe there's a sole reason to ship something, you ship it just because. Looking back, looking now, it… sucks to see all kinds of ship hate for ships that you can just… leave alone.**

 **Back then, I was scared to even start a fic like this, because I was scared I'd receive hate for this ship. But I realized that there are actually people like me that ship this and want more of this like how I do. So, I did something, and I wrote. And the feedback I gained over time had been so… encouraging and astonishing.**

 **So, for the thousandth time, thank you.**

 **P.S. In case you may be wondering: no, I have not been attacked or any of the sort. I just felt the need to bring this up and inspire a little, I guess.**

 **P.S.S. some songs that I listened to while thinking about the ships (I'm a rock person, btw):**

 **Hero/Heroine by Boys Like Girls**

 **Famous Last Words by My Chemical Romance**

 **C'mon by Fun and Panic! At the Disco**

 **Could Have Been Me by The Struts**

 **P.S.S.S. I had rewatched some moments of Stanley and Stanford just to make sure what they called each other in my story was accurate, and ended up feeling feels again. Severe feels. Severe. Why was this show so great, man?**

 **Until next time!**


	42. Chapter 42

_**gratissimum**_

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

 _He stared up at the starry, night sky, and felt his heart ache. The abundant amount of covers and cloths warmed his body, but not his soul._

* * *

 _This wasn't Mabel land._

 _It was the mountain, in front of her, waiting to be sought. Snowy and perfect, veiled with a compacted forest, vast and towering over her like a large wave of the sea, except, made of land. Mabel felt herself being drawn forth, a beckoning from the wind, a call from something familiar._

" _Maybe if I—"_

" _No, that won't—"_

" _I'll just—"_

" _Ergh! This is—"_

 _She almost took a step forward._

" _Shooting Star!"_

 _And the voice stopped._

 _She halted and turned around. For a moment, the world was just a mess of blurry scenes. She couldn't remember where she had just been. Her being felt nonexistent._

" _Shooting Star, right here!"_

 _Bill was behind her, uttering the beloved nickname she had grown fond of. Mabel blinked, and she felt anew, as if her mind had reset, as if the world had been refreshed. She finally recognized Bill, although he appeared fuzzy. He was looking at her with an abnormal amount of surprise. She couldn't help but giggle, "Shouldn't I be the one that's surprised?"_

 _Bill opened his mouth to respond, but she beat him to it._

" _How is the trip so far? Got any new followers?"_

 _He was still gazing at her. She was not in control of her dream like she usually was. She was actually… dreaming; her mind was producing nonsense from memories. This would make it more difficult for him to talk to her. About to clear up the absurdity, he raised his hand. It loomed over the dreamscape, yet, he couldn't bring himself to go through with the action. For, if he erased it all, he may not understand why she was in the state that she was._

 _Even if a smile adorned her, she was crying; crystal pearls streamed from her eyes, but she wasn't aware. It was ridiculous, really. The amount of water pouring down her skin made quite a sight. He asked slowly, "What happened…?"_

 _She stared at him, blissfully ignorant. It was like she missed his message altogether—even though she probably had. He attempted again, and glanced behind her. "Why is this mountain in your dream?"_

" _We visited the mountain yesterday." She informed him pleasantly, almost instantly. Tears were still spilling from her eyes, "Then we got attacked by some crazy Kill Billies. But everything's okay now!"_

 _He couldn't find the words. Mabel frowned at his somber expression. "Why are you looking at me like... that…?"_

 _She grazed her damp cheeks with just the tips of her fingers. Mabel stated, as though it was just her name._

" _I'm crying."_

 _It was the moment of self-realization where her setting felt as false as it was. An illusion to delude her. A sign to blind her, to block progression. Cold and creepy and just not a nice dream._

 _She blinked._

 _ **A bad dream.**_

 _She blinked._

 _ **But not a nightmare.**_

 _It was just not her cup of tea, so if she could wake up now—_

 _She didn't want to stay._

" _Bill, I'm sorry. This dream isn't fun." Mabel heard herself say. "I want to leave."_

 _She listened._

" _I'll find—"_

" _It's cold, but—"_

 _There was a tug on her chest, before it turned to ice._

 _She was cold._

 _Bill reached out, but the world was already fading._

" _Shooting Star, who—?"_

* * *

Although the snow outside built up around their home, it could not enter. Blocked by the wood of the shack; protection given by the walls of their haven. It could only send snakes of airy frost through the thin cracks, ones that would hiss silently and nibble on their hands and cheeks. Kiss their noses and curl up against their bodies as the persons attempted to hide away within the coverages of their bed. For something so simple, it was deadly, as the rest of its body, the howling wind, begged to come inside.

Mabel woke up with a start, shooting upwards with a frightened expression. Sweat trailed down her forehead, and her palms were clammy. She felt all around uncomfortable, nauseous, and freezing. She snuggled deeper into her bed, but to no avail. There was a chill running up and around her body. Irritably, she wiped her runny nose, and let out a mighty yawn. She glanced beside her, only to let out a yelp at the shadow of her risen brother.

"Ow, loud!" Dipper complained while cringing. She willed herself to calm down, resulting in her breaths becoming even. The room was dim; the gray, puffy clouds muffled the morning light, so her eyesight was mostly filled with darkness. She rubbed her eyes, tired, "Why are you awake? It's so _early_."

"Oh, couldn't sleep." He said as he curled up in his bed. Although it was dark, he trained his eyes on the ceiling. "I'm still… thinking about the mountain, you know?"

She sleepily inquired, "Really?"

The… mountain… mountain… mountain… mountain…?

She perked up, just by an inch, and remarked, "'Cus I just had the weirdest dream about it!"

He turned to her in interest. The glint of his eyes exposed vast, deep pools of chocolate. They seemed to swirl into the center of an endless abyss.

Suddenly, she was falling in them. In reality, Mabel had collapsed on her side and instantaneously pulled the covers over her shivering form. She sneezed, before sniffing pitifully, "It's so cold."

Her brother asked with much concern. "Are you sick?"

Mabel puckered her lips, albeit not giving it much thought. "I think so…"

"Oh," Dipper smiled sympathetically. She couldn't help but stare as his mouth moved, "then you should sleep."

"Sleep?" It was a foreign thought, with a notion in her mind saying that she shouldn't.

 _Get up,_ It told her, _Get up_.

She reasoned meekly, "But I just woke up…"

Dipper stood up from his bed. She felt her skin prick and tingle, and she shuddered again as another wave of chills swept over the room. He was stretching his body, and each crack of his bones made her flinch. Mabel turned her head to stare outside their tiny attic room. The heavy snow gradually piled up against their triangular window. A thought popped up in her head, something that reminded her of a person, of a dream.

A dream.

She dreamt of—

"Mabel," Dipper interrupted her thoughts, "you okay? You look tired. I really think you need some more rest."

"Um…" she numbly replied with her mind blank. What had she just been thinking about? A dream? A… dream?

"Sorry," she shook her head, attempting to resurface her thoughts, "I'm just trying to remember the dream I just had."

He chortled at the obscurity. "Don't try too hard. Dreams are easy to forget, anyway."

"Oh, right…"

Mabel slackened, yielding to the hypnotic tug of her bed. It was so very welcoming, and so very warm against the cold weather. She couldn't help herself as she slowly descended into unconsciousness. Dipper was right, yet it felt significant—her dream, that is. Why?

Her eyes snapped open.

Bill had been in her dream!

A surge of drowsiness hit her hard, and she checked the time on their bedside clock. It was five—or was it six? She couldn't tell—in the morning. Nonetheless, she still wanted to mull over her dream and Bill's appearance in it. Maybe it meant something, or maybe it meant nothing at all. Maybe he just visited her at a bad time. Maybe she should…

 _Yawn._

Then again, more rest may do her well. She rubbed her temples in small circles, "Okay, maybe I will sleep."

"Good. I'm gonna tell Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford."

When the door shut, and the room sank into a quiet darkness, she closed her eyes and mumbled, "What's wrong with me…?"

During her repose, she did not dream. The world outside was tranquil, no longer being swept away by a current. The clouds were still rolling and gray, but permitted more sunlight to filter through. The snow had accumulated against the triangular window of the attic, as well as everywhere else on or outside of the shack. It was a winter wonderland waiting to be discovered. Yet, it already had been, proven by the footsteps leading from the building towards the town. Who, unfortunately, did not care for such a sight.

And when she opened her eyes again, she felt immensely better. Her mind was rejuvenated, her body felt fresh, and it wasn't as cold as it had been the first time she awoke. Mabel yawned and stretched her arms above her head, then sniffed the air. Looking to her side, there was a bowl of soup sitting on the bedside table. It appeared fresh, and there was still the slightest amount of steam rising from it. She picked up the little note next to it and read the message, " _Hope you feel better! Call me when you wake up!_ _\- Great Uncle Ford_."

Mabel immediately grabbed her crystal communicator and dialed for her Grunkle Ford while eating the semi-warm soup. He answered after just two rings, " _Ah, Mabel!_ _I'm glad you're awake. How do you feel now?_ "

"I feel great, actually!" she replied in a chirpy voice. "And thanks for the soup! It's good!"

" _You're welcome, dear."_ Ford sighed with relief _, "I'm glad you're feeling fine, since I worried what may have been the issue after running some tests."_

She slurped the broth. _"_ What'cha find?"

" _I had checked your temperature, yet there was no fever. I even ran a scan through your spiritual levels, and they're relatively normal. It must have been just a small cold. You should get some more sleep at night so you aren't vulnerable to illnesses!"_

"Okay, okay, I got it." Mabel grinned, "Bye, Grunkle Ford! Love you!"

" _You too, dear. Be safe._ " The call ended with a curt chime. Mabel placed her crystal facedown onto the bedside table.

She finished her soup within minutes, abruptly realizing how hungry she had been. It was already ten o'clock, anyway. Mabel took up the bowl and headed for the kitchen. She stepped down the stairs to find Grunkle Stan sweeping up shards of porcelain. He held a neutral look on his face. It seemed like he was unaware of the world around him. Confused, she inquired directly, "What happened?"

"Oh, it was just an accident from this morning while you were asleep." Stan finally noticed her and elaborated on the mishap, "Dipper had been a klutz and knocked into the table, which made my mug fall."

"Sounds like something I would do!" Mabel chuckled while putting the dish in the sink. She bounced on her heels. "So, now that I'm feeling all better, are we gonna resume training?"

"Well, Pacifica didn't come today since she didn't know how long you were gonna be sick, so it's just you and me today, kid." Stan responded as he threw away the fragments in the trash. He went to wash his hands while she bounded over to him. Mabel clapped eagerly, "Yay! One of my favorite kind of days. Let's get rocking!"

She feigned karate chopping while emitting weird noises. "Are you gonna teach me some cool moves?"

"You're still on your soul essence, Mabel." Stan told her. She groaned, "I know that, but what about fighting with my fists?"

"Later." He indicated with his hand, "Right now, just sit still and focus."

She puffed her cheeks. "I don't like sitting still and focusing!"

"Come on, kid, make it easy for yourself now. It will get harder in the future, anyway."

"But it's not easy! I like to move!" She danced in place. "How can you possibly hold this down?"

"Sweetie—"

"Oh, I know!" She grasped his large hands. "Dance with me!"

"What?" he spluttered. Mabel laughed, "Yeah, it'll be fun!"

Stan gave her an uneasy look. "Now isn't the time—whoa!"

She pulled him towards her to the living room. With a broad smile, she shuffled her feet while alternating her tugs on his hands. "Just follow my lead, see? Here we go! Doo, doo, doo—"

"Mabel, Mabel, _Mabel_." Stan ripped his hands out of her grip to hold them up. "Stop. This is pretty serious, alright? We don't have time for… _dancing_ when our lives could be in danger at any moment."

She scoffed. "Grunkle Stan, we're in the safety of our home right now. I am _not_ gonna be afraid in my own home!"

With her hands on her hips, she held her ground. He eyed her with sympathy, causing her to grow tense. Softly, she relented, "But… we can go ahead and train now, I guess."

"Good choice, kid." Stan gave her a pleased, thin smile. "I know I took Dipper out into the snow during his training, but let's just stay inside for this one, alright?"

"No problemo!" She shot him with finger guns. He hadn't exactly paid attention to her silly gesture, however. Her face slightly fell from the lack of reaction. As they sat down on the floor together in the living room, he shut his eyes and said, "We're gonna continue where you left off yesterday, so—"

"Grunkle Stan."

"Huh?" He paused, puzzled as to why she interrupted him. She furrowed her eyebrows, "Are you okay?"

"What makes you say that, sweetie?"

"You seem… hmm," Mabel tapped her chin several times, trying to figure out the correct word for his mood. She hadn't ever seen him in a critical state like this, yet it was still familiar…

"Oh! Sad! You seem sad!" She realized as she stuck her index finger up. Quickly, she punched her palm and glared, "Who did you wrong? I'll—!"

" _You'll_ do _nothing_ , kid." Stan sighed, kneading the muscles in his face. "Let's just get on with this."

"But—"

"You already agreed!"

"I know I did!" she argued, "But when you're sitting down in front of me with a face longer than a horse's, then how am I supposed to ignore that?!"

"Ugh, fine, if it will get us moving," Stan threw his hands up and leaned against the couch chair. "I'm just feeling down from yesterday's events. I can't believe that I had let Dipper slip away from me so easily. That's it."

She had a mixed expression of compassion and befuddlement. "What's the problem? Dipper's back without any harm done."

"The _problem_ is that it happened in the first place. What if he had never gotten out? What then?"

Mabel recoiled at the mere idea. "I… don't know. But I know that he would never give up."

He rolled his eyes. "Mabel…"

"He wouldn't give up," she restated firmly, "and he would find a way, because my brother is just great like that!"

Stan patted his chest. "Then—the problem is just me!"

Silence.

They didn't break eye contact, nor did they make a move to. Stan was breathing heavily, feeling the emotional toil from revealing his self-doubt. It was a burden that he thought he had buried a long time ago. He hated it: letting down someone that he cared about greatly. He had done it all before. Letting his brother down, letting his parents down… and now, Dipper, too? It was ironic he had recently mentioned this to a certain blond, and now it was coming back to bite him.

Mabel had spent those few seconds of silence to undergo a whirlwind of contemplation. Plunging into the somberness of the matter would probably make things worse. Ignoring it would help no one, and making light of it would only be rude. She did what she did best, a joke that spoke the truth!

"Looks like we both need training, eh?" Mabel suggested facetiously. She waved him off, "Don't worry about it, Grunkle Stan! I'll say it again for reassurance. He made it out, everyone's alive, and we're all fine!"

He never tore away from her grinning face. It was contagious enough to solve a substantial percentage of his negativity.

"Heh, geez, I didn't know my grandniece was the Sun." Stan shielded his eyes, "Oh, no! I already have poor eyesight!"

"But those glasses make you look cool," she complimented him in an unsure demeanor, "in an old person, wise-guy way!"

He took them off to inspect them, "You think so?"

"You can't even see without them. What are you doing?"

"Damn it, kid, don't expose me like this."

They shared a laugh together. He placed his glasses back onto his face, "Oh, wow, I thought you and your brother were more or less the same, but I was wrong."

"Well, I am Mabel." She mused out of the blue, "Do you think Mabel might be short for another name?"

"Maybe you were born with it," Stan shrugged, "and maybe it's Mabelline. But I doubt you'd have a name like that."

She looked at him with a satisfied hum, until she recalled on his prior statement. Mabel frowned. "What did you mean?"

"Mean when?"

"When you said Dipper and I were different?"

"Oh, well…" Stan leisurely moved his hands as he spoke. "He would occasionally mention how the mountain was horrible, how he couldn't believe he was there, and all that. Between you and me, it made me feel bad, but I don't think he noticed."

Mabel raised her eyebrows in surprise. Dipper was never really the one to be so insensitive to people he cared about, especially his family. He didn't exactly appear vindictive about the whole ordeal, either. That mountain must have really changed him, in some way, though. She only hoped he would learn to move past it.

"He seems really hung up on that mountain." She jested, "Too bad that he has to go through another bad break-up."

Stan laughed, lifting up both of their spirits. He mentioned in a jovial tone, "Did I tell you? I had the most random dream last night. There was some dancing dog and a plant made of honey… I think? And Carla was there, of all people, telling me to buy one of my old rickety products."

She nodded with pseudo comprehension. "That made about as much sense as my sweaters."

He defended, "Dreams are weird to explain, okay?"

"Well, lemme try, 'cus I had a weird dream, too!"

"What about?"

"It was about…!" She suddenly trailed off, her smile fading along with her voice. Her mind flickered with blurry memories, yet nothing manifested into a clear picture. Her lips curled back with disdain, "...I'm not sure anymore. I think I forgot."

She smacked her head lightly, "Blegh! I hate it when you wake up and forget what you dream about!"

"Well, that's the things with dreams." He waved his hand lazily. "You either remember them or forget 'em. And most of the time, it's the second one."

"I think it was important, though." She stroked her chin like a detective in a cliche movie would do. "I remember Bill being in it, at least."

He rose an eyebrow. She blushed, "The _real_ Bill."

"Whoa, that's even worse!" He pointed at her, "Who knows what things you guys will do in there!"

"Grunkle _Stan!_ "

"I'm kidding—ow!" He tenderly rubbed his aching arm. "Elder abuse!"

She stuck her tongue out at him. Stan chuckled, "Alright, alright, let's get on with it."

Mabel smiled, delighted to see that her great uncle was no longer down in the dumps. Closing her eyes, she crossed her legs and interlocked her hands in her lap. The world around them felt much better now when it was much warmer in mood. She felt like she could relax, and so did he. They were content, now, being in the Mystery Shack. Since, for some reason, it felt like there was no escaping the frigid wind outside.

Stan sat still in front of her, observing her concentrate. He monitored how each breath she took was uneven with her attempt to maneuver her soul essence. Quietly, he ordered, "Your breathing is supposed to be in sync with your movement."

"Okay…" she whispered, yet still with her eyes shut. He hushed her gently, but she only responded with, "Okay…"

Mabel didn't have to open her eyes to know that he was scowling at her. She grinned cheekily, before returning to the task at hand. With each inhale, she tugged on her soul essence. And with each exhale, she released her hold on it, letting it flow away from her. Push and pull, creating that momentum. Getting used to the feeling of control over something she hadn't willingly touched before. Before long, the energy was swirling, a constant cycle within. She could feel it.

Mabel reached, reached for something within that whirlpool of energy—

Stan said, impressed, "Wow."

Peeking with one eye, she looked down at her hands. A soft light was seeping through the gaps of her fingers. She slowly flipped over her hands to study her palms, and floating atop was a little ball of light. It bobbed up and down and around in its tiny proximity. She cooed, "Aren't you just the cutest thing ever?"

Mabel showed it off as if it was a diamond ring. "Look, Grunkle Stan! It's beautiful!"

"It sure is adorable." He commented, inspecting the small thing. The heat was not at all very strong, only radiating a minimal amount of warmth. It was just a speck of light, really. She attempted to rub her cheek against it, but it only faded into her skin. She pouted at the loss of her mini creation. He beamed, "Chin up, sweetie. We're making some real progress here. You can make more of it!"

"Oh, right!" Mabel's face lit up considerably. She shut her eyes and resumed her training. Stan stayed in front of her, monitoring her rate of development in terms of control and power. He smiled at her, pleased to see her attentive with her lessons. She, oblivious to it, only attended to her spiritual flow.

* * *

The air was not as ruthless as Gravity Falls was. It was cool and serene, just a passing breeze over the shores of the Ireland islands. Although the sky was still blanketed by smoky-colored clouds, the royal blue of the water was still enthralling.

"You appear to be distracted."

"I'm just enjoying the view." Bill lied, gazing off the shore of the island. He had seen this scene a hundred times. The young, pretty girl was laying down against the soft sand. The lower half of her body would occasionally be washed by the Irish sea. Her silky, white cloak embraced her lithe form. She drew little circles in the sand, "Do you like it that much?"

He glanced at her, understanding the implication. Reading her mind was useless, for her intentions were written all over her face. Bill relaxed by extending out his legs and tilting his head back, displaying a false vulnerability. Sorsha pouted at the absent-mindedness. "Are you not satisfied? Are the prawns not big enough?"

She picked one up from the platter beside them and raised it for him to see. He only sent her a persuasive smirk, "Everything's superb, Little Seal."

She shot him an unconvinced look. "If you say so."

"Do you not believe in my words?"

"It's simply a matter of manner." She intertwined her fingers and rested her chin upon it, "You say you are fine, yet you are lost in thought."

Bill asked her, "Why do I have to be tormented to think?"

"When you are happy, you have no need for thought. Everything is right." Sorsha clarified. Her wispy voice sounded like the song of the sea. "By what I discern, everything is not."

He praised lightly, "You're perceptive, just like your mother."

"Sorsha!" A willowy, elegant woman rose from the waters. Her feet skimmed the surface, and her white cloak dipped underneath. The salmon color of her tight dress contrasted nicely against the glimmering ocean. With grace, she crossed over to them. She refused to look at the blond beside her daughter, and politely commanded, "Excuse us, would you? I have to speak to him… _alone_."

"Of course, Mother." The young selkie fluttered her fingers towards him in a cutesy goodbye, before scooping up the tray and diving into the open waters.

The woman, Brona,, ultimately succumbed to having to connect her eyes with his lone one. It was nerve-wracking, honestly, with that stare of his. Albeit his youthful appearance, she made a wise decision not to measure him with nominal value. It almost felt as though every move she made and every thought in her head would have to be planned carefully. She opted to evade having to waste even more effort for something like paranoia.

Brona combed back her dripping hair in exasperation. "I do not see why she fancies you."

He wore an amused expression. "Annoyed?"

"More like disappointed..." she mumbled. Bill chuckled and floated upwards, bringing himself at almost the same height as she, "Have you thought about my offer, Sad Seal?"

She wrung her hands together; her slender fingers tangled amongst themselves, "It's quite a… generous deal. It is true that the horrid monsters of the deep are not the only thing killing my kin..."

"Yes, such is the influence of human progression." Bill cupped his hands into the water and let it slip through his fingers. "Despite your best efforts, the representatives of your people have little impact on the outcome. A definite characteristic of humanity is their stubbornness. This water will one day be browner than the soil."

"And how are you so certain that your realm will return to its ancient way?" she questioned in a stern tone. Her eyes narrowed with skepticism. "I've heard that it's a place full of demons and reeks of dark energy. It's beyond repair; truly nightmarish."

"Your qualms are admirable. Although, there is a way, Sad Seal." Bill replied charmingly. He briefly thought about Mabel and her soul weapon, before adding, "And it will ensure the safety of your people. All I require is for you to pledge your loyalty to me, in the name of the selkies. To train them to fight for me."

"That is not a small deed." She gritted out. To be underneath the rule of some foregone prince—or, technically, king? Sacrifice themselves for someone who disappeared without a trace? "How can I trust you? Where have you been all these years?"

"As I've said: biding my time. I cannot just strike whenever."

 _At least, not anymore,_ Bill included inwardly.

"But times are coming to a close, and it's vital I begin my act now."

She was silent, until, "Allow me to discuss this with the others."

"Take as much time as you'd like," Bill shrugged, "Or, well, as much as you can, anyway."

As Brona grumbled and left, he smirked to himself. Speaking to the selkies first was a sure way for his message to be shared between a myriad of other creatures with the least bit of comprehension. They'd all be talking about the unexpected and enigmatic character who claimed to save them from the dying ocean. Soon enough, he wouldn't even have to seek out other beings. They would search for him for sanctuary.

Bill lowered himself back onto the sand. His arms were casted over his knees. The beautiful imagery of the sea vanished from his sight as he closed his eye. His mind drifted to Mabel, and instantaneously, he felt a concoction of concern and confusion. Visiting her via dreams would be the only way he could communicate with her while he was away. Yet, just as soon as he leaves, she seems to have already gotten herself in some sort of trouble.

What had brought upon this assumption? Because it was not Mabel land he had stepped in to. It was the forest encircling the Mountain of Youth.

That forsaken mountain was just one of the worst things he has ever been cursed to stumble upon. Always being highly annoying and producing horrible contents. It was like living in a never-ending nightmare. The end result wasn't even that good, either. Bill blew a raspberry towards the sky, still closing his eye.

Going back to the main point, Mabel had recently just visited the Mountain of Youth. It was probably due to Ford, since Stan wasn't the one to uselessly explore places he had no interest in. She was sad, that was for sure, albeit being oblivious to her own melancholy. However, he knew that she hadn't been trapped in the enchantment, because then, she wouldn't have been able to exit on her own. Escaping that mountain took precision and dedication in certain areas of the mind.

Not that he wanted to insult her, but just that, based on fact alone, she wouldn't be capable.

He was going to ask who, yet he had been denied, as she had abruptly woken up. After a few moments, he could sense her falling back into slumber. However, he could not reach her, for she did not dream again. Perhaps it was bad luck; a misfortune that it was that night, she had an odd dream that restricted her authority.

An unreasonable indignation swelled up in his chest at being restricted from interacting with her. It squeezed right in next to his feelings of worry and bafflement. He scrunched his nose at his own stupid emotions.

"So, just what _are_ you…?" A silky voice called out to him. Opening his eye, he was met face to face with a mermaid, who was laying on her stomach with her hands propping up her face.

Although, she was more of a gentle maiden of the sea than her siren-mixed cousins. Whose grand idea was it to give birth to siren-mermaid babies, anyway? Despite their difference in appetite, they were all called by the same name: mermaids. That is, unless, they were just a purebred siren. Nonetheless, it was extremely challenging to accurately infer which mermaid was man-eating or not based on physical attributes. He only knew because he could read their mind before they even opened their mouths.

In lieu of a greeting, he asked smoothly, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"You appear to be human, but you're still different, somehow."

"I'm the embodiment of the supernatural, Adella."

"Oh, wow, you even know my name!" She flicked her glistening, vibrant tail behind her. Suddenly, Sorsha popped up from the water, splashing all those around her. Bill wiped the droplets off his face, "Charming."

"What're you doing here, Adella?" The selkie glared suspiciously, "Weren't you just stalking another ship?"

"I wasn't!" She was, but they didn't have to know that. Nevertheless, Bill already knew the truth. She squinted her eyes back at the dark-haired girl, "Besides, what's wrong with my curiosity? I can ask him questions! It's a free ocean!"

"You don't just ask someone something without introducing yourself first!"

"Who are you to teach me manners? My mother?"

"I bet you don't even know his name!" Sorsha harrumphed haughtily. Adella was at a loss of words. Entertained, Bill interjected blithely, "It's Bill Cipher."

"Bill Cipher?" Adella tested the name on her tongue. It was now the selkie's turn to be speechless at his bluntness. Without warning, another mermaid sprung into view, followed by a merman, as well as two more selkies. Bill subconsciously sweated, "Well, isn't this a party?"

"So, your name is Bill Cipher?"

"That's such a cool name!"

"I guess so… You know any cool tricks?"

"I feel like my grandma has mentioned that name before."

"I said 'black spider!'" A wrinkly, stout woman corrected. The younger creatures all turned to the old female in surprise. Bill kept up a smirk, yet his eyebrow twitched irritably, "How many of there are you?"

"Well, there is more underneath." The merman pointed behind him with his thumb. "They're all hiding like a bunch of wusses."

A fish smacked him right in the back of his head. He cursed and whirled around, "Who did that?!"

An umpteen amount of bubbles arose to the surface, indicating a chorus of laughter from the concealed creatures. Indeed, just with one peek, Bill could identify a multitude of distorted colors and figures in the water. They were all gathered up with inquisitive gazing. He wasn't exactly used to being around this many people in such a… _long_ time, especially when it was with admiration instead of pitchforks and torches and then some.

Who could blame them, though? Such a magnificent being like he himself was destined to be the main attraction. Oh, being amazing was both a blessing and a curse. He rose an eyebrow, "So, is there anything else you can do instead of staring at me all day? I mean, I know I'm beautiful, but this face isn't free."

While he caressed his chin in a showy manner, the girls swooned and the one male only showed distaste. Another mermaid appeared, "Actually, I wanna know where you came from!"

"Is that so?" Bill indulged her, where she nodded eagerly. He deadpanned, "A place you probably don't know the name of. Next!"

One selkie raised her hand. "Why are you wearing a tophat at the beach?"

"Why do you care? Next!"

"How old are you?"

"Old enough to be your ancestor. Next!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on. You're barely answering these questions!" The merman interrupted. Bill scowled at him, for he immediately reminded him of a dumber, fishier version of Pine Tree. Sorsha agreed, "Why don't you tell us honestly?"

"Do I have to?" Bill asked in a monotonous voice. A crowd of mumbled answers arose.

"I suppose not."

"It is his private life…"

"I don't think I would."

"Do you have to what?"

Ignoring that last question, for it was faint and the creature was probably somewhere farther away, Bill shrugged nonchalantly, "See? The only thing you must know is that I am here to provide, as long as my terms are met in return."

"And what are those terms?" Sorsha questioned with a cute tilt of her head. He gave a lopsided grin, "You'll see soon enough."

"What the—? What are you all doing here?!" Brona returned to a huddled clutter of sea creatures. If they weren't careful, they could all be beached by the time it was low tide. She instructed resolutely, "Away with you all! Now!"

With a few disappointed grunts and whines, they all sank back into the deeper parts of the ocean. Bill frowned, "You just drowned my fanclub."

"Hilarious one, you are." She poised herself and inhaled much needed air. It pained her to say, but she, among a handful of others, were overruled by the enormous majority. Brona informed him without the slightest hint of disgust, "We have come to the decision that... under my authority, Brona of the Selkies… this sea pledges its loyalty."

The woman smoothly dragged one foot in front of the other, and bobbed a deep curtsy. "It is an honor, Your Majesty."

Bill grinned widely. "Such formality. I appreciate the swift decision."

She gazed at him through half-lidded eyes. "I suppose that desperate times call for desperate measures. We simply sought the best for our future generations."

"Excellent, Sad Seal."

Brona straightened. "And _stop_ calling me that."

"Never."

* * *

Pacifica felt the skin on her back raise into goosebumps. She ignored it, choosing to believe it was just the chilly wind. There was no dark being in sight, anyway. If her detection senses had began to malfunction somehow, she'd only laugh at the abnormality.

Her academy was doing exceptionally well. The students were top-notch, the teachers were thorough, and the rest did not attempt to disappoint her. When she spoke, they listened. When she watched, they executed their performance almost flawlessly. She had them inside a giant clock, turning gears that worked together, and she was the maker. It was an exceptional standard that had to be followed, for if they lagged behind, this town would not last.

There was a knock on her door. She called, "Come in."

Dipper walked in with a smile. He shut the door behind him and went up to her desk. From the moment he revealed himself fully, her suspicions had arose. The way he acted was a dead giveaway. Looking around, he tapped his thigh repeatedly and clicked his tongue. Pacifica cocked her head dubiously, "Something the matter?"

"Um, yeah…" Dipper blew out air, puffing his cheeks in the process. "I have something to tell you, and I don't really know how to put it in words."

She snickered. "Come on, nerd. What is it?"

"It's… pretty important…" He hesitated. Suddenly, his cheeks were coloring. With a deep breath, he looked her in the eyes. Out of nowhere, his hand was in front of her face with the expectancy of a handshake.

"Friends—?" His voice cracked. Flustered, he cleared his throat, "I mean, uh, friends?'

This stunned her, to the point where she had to actually blink to escape her shock. Where did this come from?

"Friends?" she asked, bewildered. She had always… sort of thought that… they were already unspoken friends? But, here he was, with a downpour of sweat and the most strained smile she had ever seen on him. Odd that he was being such a gentleman about asking her officially, albeit also unusually endearing. Pacifica drew her eyebrows together, "Uh…"

"Yeah, I know, it's weird." Dipper withdrew his hand to finger through his hair. "But, um, let me go through the factual side!"

"What…?"

"So I was up at night making this!" He yanked out a poster with scribbled handwriting and nonsensical doodles. Arrows were pointing left and right. "And just take a look!"

Disturbed, she grabbed the paper from his hands and skimmed over it. He could barely stay still, feeling his feet shuffling without his permission.

"I really believe that this will help us protect Gravity Falls better if we sincerely trust each other without any personal complications." Dipper elaborated his point speedily. His voice was genuine with a trace of worry, gathering every bit of her attention. "Think about it: better relationship equals better teamwork, and better teamwork means a safer environment for everyone, right?"

She peered at him over the poster, before lowering it slowly onto her desk. Rolling it up in a scroll, she was beyond stupefied. Pacifica leaned forward slightly, placing her interlocked hands in front of her. He bent over a little as well, anticipating her answer.

She breathed. "Do you need the day off?"

That took him by surprise. "What? No!"

"I'm one-hundred percent serious here, Dipper." Pacifica eyed him warily. "I think you should go lie down in bed and sleep off… whatever this is."

"Pacifica, please." He shook his head at her advice and chuckled, "I'm fine, and for your information, I'm one-hundred percent serious, too. This is just better."

Dipper shrugged sheepishly, looking off to the side. "And plus, I think you're… pretty cool. So, friends?"

Pacifica was frozen in her seat. Everything had been pretty normal between them until up to this point. And now, at this very moment, he's suddenly asking her if they wanted to be friends? Actual friends that typical kids have? Was he sick? Was she dreaming? Where had the snarkiness gone from his attitude?

"You think I'm cool?" She gesticulated and gazed at him with incredulity. "And not in some sarcastic way where I'm icy and hate everyone?"

"Uh, yeah, no. You're _cool._ " Dipper rubbed his arm with a furious blush. "You're killing me here."

"Well, geez, sorry, I'm just trying to wrap my head around this." Pacifica replied sharply, "What happened to you?"

"What?!" he asked, perplexed. Feeling offended, he responded, annoyed, "I'm just trying to make nice here!"

She threw her hands up. "Why?!"

"Because I…" he breathed deeply to stifle any onslaught of emotions. Swallowing down his anxieties, he informed her softly, "I don't wanna live on knowing there's someone out there, like you, that I could be closer to. And I don't want to leave you to be alone, either."

Her face became gentle, shown by the tint in her cheeks and the warmth in her eyes. He finished, inwardly triumphant that he had struck through her, "I care about you, Pacifica. Don't you care about yourself?"

"Of course I do…" She bit her lip at her wavering voice.

 _Odd, odd, odd._

The goosebumps on her back were like the raised hackles of a wolf. This whole… proposal had sprung out of nowhere. And, frankly, this out of character behavior was also quite bizarre. It was like he had experienced some spiritual awakening that made him want to befriend everyone, which would soon lead to becoming a tree hugger and a vegan in the future. Not that there was much wrong with that, of course, but seeing a hippy-Dipper was both hilarious and disturbing.

Perhaps, her fixed image of him being… _him_ as she knew him—sarcastic, witty, problematic—was preventing her from looking at the feasible idea of change. That he could be someone different.

Caving in, she reluctantly stuck out her hand towards him, "Alright, nerd. You got your chance. Friends?"

He smiled, one that stretched across his face and nearly reached his eyes. Taking her hand in his, he shook it firmly. "Friends!"

Pacifica felt a shudder in the core of her being. "Great, now that that's done, can you leave and do some actual work?"

"Of course! Whatever you want, Northwest." He told her over his shoulder on his way out. Before he left, he waved, "See ya later!"

She waved back awkwardly, "Uh-huh."

When the door shut, she absorbed the silence of the office. The clock ticked on and on, unceasing, not now, and may never for the rest of its mechanical life. Instantly, she slammed her forehead against the wooden surface of her desk. Ignoring how it throbbed, she threw her arms outwards and yelled to the floor, "What the heck just happened?!"

Dipper strolled to his office, passing by his fellow peers and students. On arrival, he kicked the door shut behind him and plopped down onto his chair. He pulled out his work journal that was full of notes and flipped through the pages. Accidentally, he halted on one of the older pages that was decorated with his name and a certain teenage redhead. His eyes stayed on that page, roaming over the doodles of hearts and messy cursive. A few switches flipped in his head, and suddenly, he was struck with an epiphany. He chuckled, before full-out laughing alone in the office.

"Oh, wow." He said lowly, "Isn't this just awful?"

He slumped back and nodded with contemplation, his hand shielding his mouth. Leaning over, he placed a few more items on his desk. Dense files and other papers scattered across the desk. Dipper cracked his knuckles and flexed his fingers, then stretched his neck. Sighing, he said out loud, "Time to get to work."

When the clock struck twelve, Dipper had finished organizing all the papers into their rightful categories. He felt his stomach rumble in hunger, which induced an idea. He leaped for the door and bounded to Pacifica's office. Composing himself first, he curled his hand into a fist, then knocked twice.

She called, "Come in."

"Hey, Princess!" Dipper cheerily voiced after stepping inside. Pacifica immediately frowned, "Just because we're… 'friends' now, doesn't mean you get to call me that."

Mentally, she still couldn't soak in the events of this morning.

"Man, you really know how to be ticked off." He rolled his eyes. "Lighten up. It's supposed to be a cute, innocent nickname."

Pacifica folded her arms. "Ugh, Dipper, you're really pushing it today."

"Remember what I said earlier?" Dipper questioned, referring to his reason for wanting to be friends. He tapped her nose, "Relax a little, would you?"

"You're telling _me_ to relax?" Pacifica was a bit ruffled at the gesture, but only brushed it off as some typical Dipper foolishness. She rose an eyebrow and muttered, "With what's been going on, I'm surprised you still have your head on your neck."

Dipper arched an eyebrow, unable to hear her last sentence. She only kept her mouth shut, awaiting to see what brought him back to her office. He moved on with the topic and shed some light on her, "Anyway, I came because I wanted to see if you… wanted to go get something to eat… with me?"

"You and I?" Pacifica questioned, her incertitude ramming into her again at full force. Dipper replied sarcastically, "Don't forget the gnomes."

"Uh, right…" She cleared her throat. It's as good opportunity to expand on this fresh… _friendship_ of theirs as any. "I mean, I suppose we can go out to get a quick bite."

"Great!" Dipper blurted out and pointed to the door. "I'll be waiting!"

Before long, he was already in the cold air with his hands in the pockets of his vest. Dipper rocked to and fro on his heels as he anticipated Pacifica's arrival. A giddy feeling stirred up within him, but he stifled it, not wanting it to lose his cool. This was just going to be a fun, relaxing time out with his friend.

 _Friend._

He smiled to himself.

"Yo, Dipper!" Wendy appeared seemingly out of nowhere and approached him, to which he waved at her. "What're you loitering out here for?"

"Just gonna grab a bite with Pacifica." Dipper shrugged like it was no big deal. Wendy gasped, "Whoa, you actually eat lunch?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dipper glared at her playfully. Wendy lightly punched his arm, "I'm joking. Well, sort of. I kind of barely see you eat. But anyway, nice score with the headmistress!"

"You think so?" Dipper nervously rubbed the back of his head. "It's just a friendly outing. Maybe you can even join us."

"Dude, eating out with the headmistress? That's straight up leisure time murder!" Wendy stated as she chopped the palm of her hand. "I don't wanna have my butt in this building any longer after school hours end."

He laughed. "Yeah, that sounds like true punishment."

"Believe me." She winked. He only humored her.

"Oh, shoot, my headmistress senses are tingling. Better get inside before she gets the wrong idea." Wendy pointed at him with a dire expression, "You never saw me."

"Who are you, again?" he teased, and she nodded with satisfaction. Not another second was wasted as Wendy backflipped all the way to the roof of the academy. With a wave over the edge, she fled out of view. Dipper was still staring upwards by the time Pacifica had arrived, cloaked with her purple trenchcoat. She also glanced up, "At least she didn't risk staying around. Smart choice."

"Well, she's smart like that." Dipper smiled fondly. "Anything to keep her freedom."

Pacifica gave him a sideways glare. "Careful, Pines. Your heart eyes are showing."

He covered his eyes with his hand and grinned. "It's rude to stare."

"Says the person staring after someone who already left.

"Touché."

"Are we gonna eat or what?" Pacifica exhaled irritably, placing her hands on her hips. Dipper touched his heart, "Of course. I didn't know you were so excited to eat with me."

Pacifica curled her fist, to which his smile wiped off his face, and he guarded himself swiftly. Dipper pleaded, "No, wait! Friends don't punch each other's faces off!"

"Unless they've got some serious communication problems and don't know how to just talk about their feelings," Pacifica spoke rapidly, before inhaling. She lowered her fist, "then, yes, I suppose they don't."

"Right, so, off we go!" Dipper speedily walked ahead, beckoning her to keep up. She rolled her eyes, but followed after him, anyway.

Pacifica found herself gazing at his back, mesmerized by the sleek blue of his vest and the motion of his arms as they swung. She did, in fact, increase her pace by just a little, if only to be directly behind him. Not enough to breath down his shoulder, but just enough to make sure it appeared that they were walking together.

"Welcome to Greasy's Diner!" Lazy Susan greeted. Dipper waved politely, whereas Pacifica only went to sit down. He trailed after her and slid into the booth across from her. Whispering behind his hand, he said, "You can work on your people skills a little."

"I only interact if I have to." Pacifica stated, straightening the menu over her face. Dipper was taken aback, shown in the widening of his eyes. He hummed in thought and rested his cheek upon his hand. The diner was relatively vacant, save for the few customers that were enjoying the amicable atmosphere. He suggested, "I know. Why don't we practice now?"

"What?" Pacifica folded her menu to stare at him with disbelief. His smile grew, "Yeah! Just for a second, at least. When Lazy Susan comes over, try to smile a little."

"Uh…"

"Come on!"

"Hey, kids, are you ready for me to take your order?" Lazy Susan said as she ambled up next to their table. She let out a brief gasp upon seeing the blonde's face. "Oh, dearie, are you okay? Do you need me to call the ambulance?"

Pacifica's expression appeared as though she was powering through a mega stomach ache that was begging to be cured through not so decent means. In a millisecond, she was frowning deeper than ever, and only barked, "No!"

After they two kids gave their orders, with one holding back laughter, and the other wishing for death, Dipper finally released his breath, "Whoo, oh, man! I thought my head was gonna explode from holding that in for too long. I'm sure you'd understand what I mean, right?"

He yelped in pain and clutched his throbbing foot. She shot him a fierce scowl, albeit the reddening of her face lessened the effect, "Idiot! I can't believe I listened to you!"

"Hey, I'm pretty glad, to be honest." Dipper said while he tended to his sore foot. "I didn't think you would have done it, either. It goes to show you _do_ trust me, and that you can relax a little."

Pacifica's face was a normal color once more. She looked away, "I don't get why that second part is so important to you now."

"To relax? Pacifica, if I had a dime for every wrinkle I saw on your forehead, I'd pay for our lunch. Metaphorically, that is." Dipper explained warmly, "Nothing against you, but a friendly you is a better you, I believe."

He booped her nose from across the table. She flinched, "Geez, maybe you should use those metaphorical coins for some gloves. Your hands are cold!"

"Blame the weather." Dipper rubbed his hands together to generate friction, though, it did not last long. Pacifica only snickered, eliciting a titter from him.

It was strange, yet at the same time, beautiful. It never occurred to her there was the possibility of being friends in the purest sense. A pair that wasn't pressured by the need to make peace, just that they were bonded by being peaceful with each other. It was truly sublime, for she hadn't experienced a friendship like it before. Although her mind and her heart still retained its walls, diving into it actually made her a bit excited. Sure, she may miss some of the sparks that arose from heated arguments or exchanged insults, but what was that compared to raw companionship? She wanted to see, but at the same time, afraid of the outcome.

However, Pacifica couldn't help—as she laughed along to a some nerdy joke he made—to feel relaxed.

And once the moon ascended upon the sky, the intensity of the cold strengthened. Night faded into the sky, and the Gravity Falls residents retreated into the safety of their homes.

As Pacifica laid in bed, she could only stare blankly at the ceiling. The feeling of something new, of something she didn't know she had wanted, was overwhelming. It made her exhausted, yet at the same time, she felt like staying up and experiencing it over and over. Then again, another tomorrow meant more to come, and more to remember. So, sleep would be the best thing, now. With that thought in mind, she shut her eyes and felt her senses drift away from her.

She didn't—couldn't—hear two citizens in the maze of the forest.

They screamed. Their screams blended into the howling wind.

In her state of slumber, Mabel felt a breeze tingle her skin.

She did not dream.

* * *

 _The morning was a lonely, bland sight. He sought to fill it with life, soon._

* * *

 **Until next time!**


	43. Chapter 43

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

" _Well, isn't this a fun game?" he mused. It appeared he was doing that a lot, lately. Tipping the bottle, water flowed past his numb lips._

 _It was the only thing he could do, anyway._

* * *

Murder.

By definition: the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being to another.

To most, it is just a passing word that flies out of the mouth. It has no significant value; holds no genuine sentiments. Only to be used to describe specific situations under certain circumstances. A hypothetical incident, and in stories, real or fake. But then, to others, it changes worlds. Entire perspectives shift into something different. New meanings engraved below the little space in the mind where the word is kept and remembered. Although, the word is not as special as it appears. Other words could have the same effect. Any word could have a greater effect.

Hate, war, love…

And sometimes, the definitions might not match. Sometimes, the word does not do enough justice. Sometimes, it's just a bad choice. Sometimes, the word was meant to be for something else.

Or, sometimes—

It is, really, just a word.

"It had to be intentional."

The early morning sun could not be seen, for gray clouds blanketed the sky. Snow fell without falter, sinking farther until it finally touched a single surface. It was light and whimsical, unlike the savage storm that took place as of last night. Men and women dressed in blue covered the area. Trying to preserve the scene, and trying to make sense of the current state of affairs.

After analyzing the wounds, one officer declared, "The slashes on their body are too precise. The murderer wanted them to die swiftly."

 _Murder._

"Poor couple. The horror frozen on their faces is just too much to bear. Who would've done such a thing?" Another officer had whispered to her partner. Their colleagues proceeded to scour the vicinity for any more clues. They stuck police tape in between trees and kept the bodies buried in the snow. Despite the freshness of the day, it already seemed laden with exhaustion and much toil. The officers did all they could for efficiency.

A certain blonde was distraught, albeit not displaying it. Leaning against the trunk of a tree, she quietly observed the officers work apace. Her eyes saw, but her mind could barely afford to absorb. She was mulling over lost thoughts.

In her four years of working as the headmistress of the Soul Fighter academy, she had not strayed from the ideal of perfection. Her students, her teachers, and her staff were stressed to be outstanding, for it kept themselves and the town safe. In these four years, she herself had believed to have done well in her line of duty as of thus far, if someone were to ask. Nothing passed by her so easily if she had control over it, and protecting each citizen of the town was well within her jurisdiction.

However—

"Here, we see that there's two bodies rotting away within the snowy forests of Gravity Falls. Is this a one-time occurrence, or the beginning of a massacre?" Toby Determined spoke in a foreboding voice. He was located right outside of the restricted zone, sporting a thin jacket, ignoring the snow seeping into the soles of his feet.

An officer walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, calmly saying, "Sir, you're speaking to a raw turkey while using a turkey baster as a microphone."

"I certainly am."

"Would you like a ride home, sir?"

"Please."

The officer politely led him to one of the stationed cars at the perimeter of the sector. Toby slid in with a saddened look, and the officer gave it his all to maintain a neutral expression. It drove away swiftly, leaving a pair of tracks behind. Others nearby didn't give it much thought.

Not so far away, a slender, beautiful woman stepped up in front of an actual cameraman. She firmly gripped the microphone in one hand and placed her other on her hip. With confidence, she stated, "This is Shandra Jimenez reporting at the scene. As of last night, two of Gravity Falls' elders, Mr. and Mrs. Pauffe, have been murdered. The murderer is unidentified, and the reason is unknown. We move to one of the officers at the scene."

Shandra held up her microphone for one of the idle officers, who waved civilly at the camera. She inquired, "Sir, what are your thoughts on this tragedy?"

"Ah, it's a surprise, really. A pretty big shock. You don't see a lot of deaths around these parts anymore, and especially not intended killing." He remarked, speaking right into the microphone and occasionally changing his gaze from Shandra to the camera. With his hands behind his back, he appeared as respectable as he sounded. The shiny badge pinned onto his chest only emphasized his appearance. The reporter nodded, then carried on to another question, "Would you be able to infer who could have done it, and why?"

"Someone sickening, that's for sure." He commented, "But, I don't know, since everyone just doesn't exactly have a reason to be hostile to each other, to the point of death. Even with the victims at hand now. They have no written reports for harassment or being harassed."

She nodded again, appreciating the well-thought-out answers. The timer was running, however, and this report had to be wrapped up. Sharing the microphone again, she asked one last question for a closing statement.

"Is there anything else you'd like to say that's on your mind?"

"Well, I only wish that the couple lived happy lives, and that I am both shocked and appalled to find that this had happened to them."

"That's very kind of you, Officer." She offered him a pleased smile, to which he nodded back. Moving away from the policemen and policewomen, she told the camera, "More to be uncovered later. Back to you, Brett."

With the camera light off, indicating that the view was off of her, she shivered from the cold and excitement. Shandra sighed with relief, wiping away the tears that rested on the rim of her eyes. "Finally! It's been so long since we've gotten real news!"

"A real misfortune about the death, though." The cameraman mentioned while they trekked back to their news van. Shandra agreed, "Of course, but who would've seen it coming?"

Unbeknownst to them, they had passed by Pacifica Northwest. Although, perhaps it was not there fault, for she was deathly silent. Plus, it wasn't as if she was paying attention to them, anyway. Albeit her youth, she appeared older, staring at the scene as if it were two gravestones to be paying respect to. Her hands were curled in fists, but hidden from view, safely protected within the pockets of her trenchcoat. Her azure eyes were dull and almost shielded by drooping eyelids. She felt numb all over, and a heavy weight was nearly too much for her shoulders.

 _ **Murder.**_

She wanted to vomit at the new sense of the word. She wanted to laugh at the obscurity. She wanted to hit herself for being so affected, acting like a complete idiot.

She signed up for one of the most dangerous positions possible, and hadn't expected any lives to be taken? It was a childish dream, hoping that her expertise was more than enough to keep everyone well and alive, as long as she may lived to be in power. Yet, that was just not the workings of life. Life strived to give strife and to give turmoil, an endless struggle that made you question its worth. A continuous lesson to be learned.

The flashing lights of blue and red weren't noticeable anymore, even if they stood out in the blank environment. The urgent voices and the flurry of feet of the officers became a white noise, and the situation itself became almost blurry. It seemed as though time had frozen in the area, despite the liveliness in the atmosphere. She felt her eyes drift close, hoping that this would move past her, instead of drag her along with it.

"Pacifica?"

And suddenly, everything felt real again, if only by a little. She breathed just a tinier bit better, allowing the frigid air to restore her senses. It wasn't another officer asking for her opinion, or her insight, or her predictions, or her plan.

It was her friend.

Dipper Pines.

She felt him place a consoling hand on her shoulder. She wished that it was warmer.

"Come on," he said, "I'll walk you home."

The blonde could only nod and let herself be pulled away from the two departed souls. He permitted her to walk behind him, trusting that she would not stray far, in which she did not betray that belief. They inched away from the site, not giving a thought to turn back. After several extensive moments, the world around her became much more tranquil. There were no bright lights, nor any shouts of distress. Just the crunching of snow and the sight of a boy she was fond of. She cherished the ease set into her mind, even if the bleakness of their surroundings should have provided otherwise.

And when they arrived at her home, she nodded again, as thanks. Pacifica made a move to flee inside, yet he stopped her with just the sound of his voice.

"I think you should take the day off today."

She gave him a look, one that they both could not distinguish. Pacifica turned away and forced herself inside the building. He only stared after her with pity.

The doors shut behind her with a loud bang, alerting the inhabitants of her arrival. She dragged her feet across the spotless floors and felt the judgemental stares of each painting never leave her form. The warmth given by her home grew tenfold as it began to be trapped underneath her coat. Bright lights from the chandeliers washed away the existence of the freezing outside. With much enervation, she pursued her path up the grand stairs. The servants only kept their mouths shut, unable to deliver their usual greetings.

"Murder? How can that be?" She heard her mother say to herself in another room not so far off. The news had spread so quickly, like a wildfire. The faint murmur of the television buzzed in the grim ambience. It bounced off the walls and phased through her. After what seemed like eternity, she finally reached the top of the stairs. Turning on her heel, she targeted the door to her room. The hallway only grew dimmer as she went farther down. Before long, she found herself in front of her destination. Wearily, she rotated the handle of her door and pushed it open. The door swung wide open with as much energy as she possessed (which was, obviously, none).

Closing the door behind her with her foot, Pacifica lumbered over to her bed, shedding her coat on the way there. She stood still at the edge, staring at her sheets of pastel pink. They were fresh, free of lint and wrinkles, and emitted that floral scent she secretly adored from their laundry detergent. Contrary to the cloth, was the girl herself. Her skin felt littered with invisible specks, and she knew not the sensation of being unburdened. After another few seconds of absent-mindedness, her body tipped over like a falling tree. She collided with her sheets, ruffling her clothing in the process. Her face pressed against the soft bed, and she inhaled deeply. She stayed there for a while.

If she were to feel lost, she wanted to feel lost in the comfort of soft silk. She didn't want to acknowledge her position in the situation. Where she possessed nothing to help those already killed. She didn't want to feel powerless, not like when she was younger.

When Pacifica was ten, her whole belief in her own strength had transitioned to something greater. It was her first taste of how her mastery affected the lives of others. Before then, constant doubt and offhand remarks were sent her way. And at that time, she had nothing to help her contest with their views. She could only yell and command, but they still looked at her the same way. It was only until she had experienced the first serious injury of one of her students, when things began to change. And the one that saved that student from certain death, was her.

She prided herself in her advancement of skill and prowess. She enjoyed seeing the looks of disbelief in those that did not have faith in her at first. She sought to overcome any stereotypes sent her way. And, fairly recently, she refused to ever stoop so low as her family lineage had done. For the crimes they did in the past was surely unforgivable, and sounded repercussions of unimaginable consequences. Maybe they were even innumerable. A small notion even reminded her of the one room she hadn't peeked her head through.

She was not like them, right? She was better than them. She was!

She _is…_

She sighed and went limp, half-heartedly desiring repose. And, to her woe, she would most likely not achieve it.

"Where is that daughter of mine?" Preston grumbled to himself. He had heard the doors bang in a way only his daughter could shut them. He pointed his glare towards a maid, "You, there!"

She squeaked, "Y-Yes, sir?"

"Pacifica came home, did she not?"

"She did, sir," came her instant reply. He checked around for what he could see, yet came up with not what he wanted to see. Preston interrogated her further, "Where is she?"

The maid swiftly said, "Her room, sir."

Preston pinched his nose bridge and huffed. He marched upwards the long flight of stairs and down the lengthy corridor. He took no notice of the eerie, pale light piercing through the window, or the unsettling silence that echoed within the walls of his home. No, he simply did not care, for that did not concern him. He soon found himself in front of Pacifica's bedroom. Even from outside, he could taste the guilt leaking from the open gaps of the door. He shuddered and blanched. Knocking twice, he called, "Pacifica? It's your father."

"Don't come in," she weakly called. She didn't bother lifting her head, consequently muffling her voice. He only responded with, "I'm coming in."

"Great." The blonde wished she could bury herself deeper into the covers. Alas, the position she was in was quite awkward, even with her current mind full of apathy, so she rolled onto her back and sat up. Preston creased his forehead, "You look awful."

Pacifica blew hair out of her face. "Thanks."

Her father was not amused. "That wasn't a compliment."

"I know."

"You just woke up about three hours ago, and you've already ruined yourself." He extended his hand out to gesture at her slouched form. She folded her arms and shrugged without a care in the world.

"I know," she deadpanned, "and I don't care."

"Pacifica…" Preston scowled as fierce as she did on her worst days, "get up and look presentable! You aren't free to have a job, only to laze around."

She glared at him, but said nothing. The bed creaked as she laid down once more, and as she turned her back on him. He felt a spike of fury in his being and shouted, "I want you to get up and get out of this house right now! And don't come back until you have some sense in that little teenage head of yours!"

Pacifica sneered and shot up from her nonchalant position. About to argue, she opened her mouth and matched his enraged expression, yet no words could come through. She was focused on the item hanging in the air, brought forth by his hand. He was holding a tiny, golden bell, the same one she had known all her life. With the amount of pressure his fingers were placing on the handle, she could perceive that he was threatening to ring it at any passing moment. Pacifica immediately felt an instinctive fear, but she still tried to speak, "Dad, I just—I need some time—"

"And let what happened last night happen again?" he inquired firmly. She looked at him with contemplating eyes, before gazing downwards with uncertainty. Impatient with her hesitation, Preston produced a single chime with the trinket. She reacted instantly, jumping onto her feet, and appearing out of breath. Pacifica held her hands up with a combination of annoyance and desperation. "Alright! I'll fix myself up then leave, but just go away!"

"Excellent." He only stated, before exiting her room with stride.

With him gone, she was only left with simmering irritation. Sure, he was her father, but what right did he have to deny her of a much needed break?

Pacifica inhaled sharply, taking in air that only fueled the fire within her. She rubbed her face with both hands, chasing away the tiredness. With an angry mumble, she collapsed onto her bed on her back and stretched her arms out beside her. She just felt the need to stare up at the ceiling for a few seconds, as if that would give her the encouragement to begin anew.

 _Get up and look presentable, but for what?_

What purpose did it serve for her to look _nice_ after her first investigation of a rare crime?

 _Of course,_ she sat up, ramrod straight, _I'm a public figure._

What good would it do for someone of her reputation to appear so disconcerted in front of the populace? No, they needed a leader. She could do that, right? She could get up and get out there! She could put on a smile and tell everyone that everything was going to be okay, because it should—because it would be! She has overcome adversaries like troubling criminals and aggressive creatures all the time, so she was fine. And how dare her father think that she was just plain _lazy?!_

She snatched a comb from the dresser and brushed through her long locks. The strands of platinum blonde gradually untangled from each other. It was usually soothing, but she was not in the mood for being soothed—not anymore. She was furious. She was furious over her father being insensitive. She was furious over herself, being unable to serve correctly, letting two citizens die.

She flattened her skirt and straightened her back, viewing herself in her full body mirror. With haste, she corrected the small errors she found with her uniform. Afterwards, she snatched her makeup kit from her desk, before moving towards her dresser. Pacifica leaned in towards her mirror and checked her makeup for any mishaps, reapplying more if there was. All the while, her mind was still a swirling storm.

Of course she didn't want anymore deaths! She wasn't _lazing_ around, she was just…

Pacifica paused with her eyeliner to think for a second.

... _ashamed!_ And she definitely didn't want to feel that anymore. Nonetheless, what could she do next to assure the lives of the town? There was a murderer on the loose, and no one had a clue who it was. Then again, they knew now that he or she was out and about. She had to do something now, before more people had the unfortunate fate of meeting the criminal…

Pacifica slammed the lipstick on the wooden surface at the realization. "I just need to increase security! This town is going under strict lockdown! No more relaxing!"

With resolution, she hurried out of her room, yanking the door shut on her way out. There were a few workers in her path, but that did nothing to obstruct her. She only evaded them gracefully, ducking her head and sliding past them. At the top of the stairs, she slid down the banister without a hitch. She planted on her feet, before sprinting to the exit. The maids and butlers paused to watch in awe at her sudden change in mood, as the doors shut behind her with a bang.

Standing on the other side of the top of the stairs, her parents had observed her interesting behavior. Priscilla furrowed her eyebrows, and switched her gaze to her husband. She asked with light amusement, "Do we need to get her help?"

"No." Preston looked smugly at her. She only scoffed and went elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Pacifica was bolting through the small town of Gravity Falls. Passersby had wanted to stop her and ask their own questions, but she didn't let them, for she didn't have any time to spare. She didn't know how little time it took for her to reach the academy, but she knew that the sooner she reached her office, the faster she could send out orders. Reaching the front doors of the academy, she opened them without a second thought. With one foot raised high, she prepared to march forth, only to be stopped by a certain somebody in the way.

"Hey, Princess!" Dipper popped up in front of her. "You're back early!"

She arched an eyebrow at his sudden appearance, before shoving past him. He rubbed his arm and whined, "Ouch. No hello?"

Pacifica didn't spare a glance his way. "No time."

Disgruntled, he frowned to himself. Dipper caught up with her and matched her pace. "How about we discuss what happened?"

"We already know what happened." Pacifica shot back without turning around. She inwardly cheered over the convenience of her entrance. People were still in class, meaning no distractions, and no one to block her. Dipper made a move to clutch her shoulder, yet she deflected it nimbly with her hand, still refusing to turn around. He faltered in his steps, sighed in defeat, then ran up to her again. They had already made it to her office, anyway. Ambling inside, he closed the door behind him as she resumed on her rampage.

"Perfect timing that you're here, by the way." Pacifica felt an unnatural determination in her veins. She yanked open a cabinet and pulled out several files. Spreading them out on her desk, she searched for the papers she needed while ordering her colleague, "I need you to get these ten Soul Fighters and station them in the woods around town. Have them surveil."

She looked up from the scattered papers and into his eyes, "Make sure that _no one_ leaves or enters undetected."

Dipper stalked closer to her desk with his hands raised in a manner of caution. He drew out, "Pacifica, I think you need to calm down."

Abruptly, her hands stopped moving. "Calm down?"

He showed her a light smile. "Yes, I understand you might be in a frenzy after what happened. But it might be better to just... sit back and relax—"

"No!" She shouted adamantly, and for a moment, she saw Dipper eye her with a minimal amount of aggravation. Pacifica held a look of surprise, before exhaling, letting the tension flow from her body. She inserted the papers back into their files, and only kept the ones she needed out. "I can't relax. I have to set up security as soon as possible."

Dipper was now looking at her sympathetically, shaking his head softly in disagreement.

"Death is a natural thing, Princess." Dipper informed her, trying to convince her. He didn't want to see her tear herself apart trying to deny the inevitable. "You can't always stop it."

"I can stop the murderer."

"Don't try to be too confident, or you may fail," he advised. She glared fiercely. "How is that being overconfident?"

"Just saying."

"Two people just died, Dipper, and I can't let that happen when we should've been around to prevent it!"

"More will surely come."

"Not helping."

He only shrugged, and she grimaced at his nonchalance. Dipper suggested, "Look, if it makes you feel better, I'll also keep watch with them."

"Really?" She perked up instantly, before sitting back in contemplation. Pacifica didn't want to be subjective with her choice, for there was an underlying fear for his safety, but, of course, that was usually common when it came to their jobs. He was skilled enough, after all. Not entirely the best, however… at least, not yet, she believed. Pacifica nodded, "Alright, Pines. The shift ends at midnight, but make sure everyone is in their homes before then. You already know everyone, anyway, _right?_ "

She had both a dangerous and skeptical glint in her eyes, and he gulped. Nodding, he reassured, "Yep! I'll let everyone know."

Her expression became warm. "Thanks."

He smiled. "No problem."

* * *

"How are you not dying of heat exhaustion?"

"Excellent question." Bill praised. The creature waited for the answer, yet nothing came. He thought of asking again, shown by the opening of his mouth, yet closed it after recognizing he would not be receiving an answer at all.

Sand stirred within the storm that encircled the city. It skimmed his cheeks and tickled his eyelashes, causing Bill to blink more than he should. He stood amongst the visitors that arrived to begin their tour. Four manticores soared far above them, biting firmly onto chains. They raised the much thinner section of the wall into the sky, creating an opening. Bill inhaled deeply, yet he choked right after, "Sand! Sand in my throat!"

"Move it!" Someone roughly pushed past him. Bill hissed, "Wanna go?!"

"Don't you have somewhere else to waste time on?" he snapped back, repeatedly fanning himself with his shirt. Bill scrunched his nose, preparing to unleash his wrath, until he puckered his lips in thought and looked to the side, "Oh, yeah. I have somewhere better to waste my time."

He passed by the man, but not without turning his clothes to ash. Those nearby stopped to gawk at his sudden lack of clothing. The man only shrieked and held his arms around himself. Bill patted his shoulder, "Thought you could use a little more air."

He only cackled, practically skipping away from the embarrassing scene. His escort growled, "There you are. You are quite a slow one."

"Sorry," Bill stretched his neck to look around, smirking all the while, "it's just such a nice view."

There the two were, within a desert city, in the heated heart of Iran. The inhabitants were mostly manticores—winged beasts with various other body parts that were oddly mashed together. The blond folded his arms and nodded in approval. He muttered, "I see that you all have lived well in these parts while I was away."

"What was that?"

"I said that this city is quite majestic!"

"Oh," the manticore smartly replied, "but of course! Only the best for us!"

The city itself was surrounded by a towering wall, if only to claim the border of the land. Despite its height, it was not even half the size of the buildings within the walls. The buildings were built from sturdy materials such as clay, sandstone, or karsheef. They stretched high, grazing the sky, and possessed structures that would stretch outwards for the creatures to perch on. The base of each skyscraper was a vast dome, for an enormous amount of space was very significant in order to not feel confined and powerless. If one were to stand in the open and gaze upwards, they'd see the flying beasts.

As Bill surveyed his environment, he noted that it was uncommon for manticores to be wandering along the ground. A lot of humans were taking a myriad of pictures, both with or of manticores, buildings, or things they found interesting that they didn't usually see in their culture. His feet still traveled with the manticore, who was leading him to his prime target.

In the midst of the city, another colossal dome rested upon a mound. What made it stand out was that it was laced with banners and sparkling with gold. A massive staircase led upwards to the building, and greeting visitors were statues of griffins, bowing down on pedestals. Bill raised an eyebrow at this, "What are these doing here?"

"These things?" The manticore scoffed. "They deserve to be solidified into eternal submission. We have carved these statues to remind our visitors who rule the skies."

"I see…" Bill stared at the statue in contemplation, before groaning mentally. Of course, while he was away, certain species just _had_ to up and create rivalries with each other! Great, now he had to spend even _more_ effort trying to make everyone all buddy-buddy so they didn't go and ruin his army by ripping each other's heads off. Or, even, threaten rebellion, which would only lead to him wasting an entire species that could've been really useful in the war.

 _War._

Bill hesitated with that thought and only brushed off the sudden unease. Yes, of course, there would be war. War between two realities, two worlds. One that would determine the faith if every living and nonliving thing that existed in either one. He sighed, remembering his purpose for gathering all of these creatures again. He was fighting to regain his kingdom.

And he'd be damned to permit two unfriendly flying species deter him from his goal.

"Hurry up, now." The manticore beckoned as he flapped his wings above the boy. Bill dutifully followed after him, taking each step up the grand stairway. He didn't want to reveal his abilities yet to these fearsome fools. They had always been a great pick for a good prank. The looks on their faces would be hilarious, and then he'd force them to bow at his feet right after. After the long flight, Bill saw the expectant look on his escort's face, who had believed he would be breathless. Stunned, the manticore could only send a questioning look towards the blond, who walked ahead of him. Bill motioned with his hand, "Are we to go in?"

"Y-Yes." The manticore crept beside him, not-so subtly eyeing him dubiously from time to time. Bill only ignored his paranoia and entered the royal dome. There was a huge, arched hallway leading into the main room of the building, where, at the end, Bill was finally able to see who took over the rule of the manticores. No humans or other creatures were allowed to step in the palace without an usher. He also had to keep a hand on his hat so that it wouldn't fly away, due to the variety of wind currents.

Another manticore truly was the center of attention, for his current position was made for it. He was sitting upon a flat platform made of gold across the room. As his people flew to and fro around him, he only rested, relishing the comfort of his place. He was wearing plates of armor over his chest and back, and thick bracelets of metal were tight around his ankles and wrists. From his high position, it was obvious that he was much more valuable than all others. Bill and his companion crossed the room to greet the mighty manticore. He noticed them instantly, and introduced himself, "I am Nertou, ruler of the manticores and the sky!"

 _Oh, this'll be good,_ a lopsided grin played on his lips. He bowed mockingly, twirling his hand in a flashy fashion. "I am the all-powerful prince that requires your loyalty and aid in exchange for protection for your species."

Gasps sounded from all around the room. The rhythm of wings paused as manticores stopped to stare at the newcomer. Bill straightened in his place, clearly enjoying the effect he had on the simple creatures. The manticore that escorted him there interjected, "I-I didn't know he was going to do this!"

"How come you let him in, then?!" one had shouted. He shouted back, "He said he was here to bask in our glory!"

Bill snorted. Nertou was about to speak, yet another voice beat him to it.

"Halt!"

A combat leader, Viafria, descended upon them gracefully, all the while possessing harbingers of potential death. Pure black bat wings, slightly ragged from years of battle, sprung from her back. In addition, a scorpion tail loomed over her head, the tip shining with toxins. Her bulky body of a lion was taut with muscles, and horrifying rows of sharp teeth filled her mouth. Even her human head was not easy to set eyes upon. Scars littered her skin, albeit the armor placed over her body. With her human hair tied behind her head, only her mane fluttered in the wind.

Bill placed a hand over his heart, "May I say that you are just a thing of beauty—"

The female snarled at his attempts, and Nertou only glared. Her eyes became slits. "Save it. We don't need _anything_ from you."

"Really?" He frowned, although it appeared more as a childish pout. "Why is that?"

"We can hold our own! Humans are nothing to us. Monsters stand no chance against our prowess." She circled him with a predatory glint in her eye, threatening to pounce him at any moment. He was rooted in place, albeit not of fear, but actually, the opposite. These creatures did not scare him, so he had no reason to show wariness. Still, Bill could appreciate a good attempt to present danger. Unfortunately for them, he was simply immune to it. He had seen all kinds of species before, and was fully aware of what they were capable of.

Bill clasped his hands behind his back. "What I speak of is not what you have experienced. They are not just monsters, but demons, too."

"I have been on the battleground for years, and have not seen a single _demon_ other than those griffins." Viafria stood confidently in place, holding her chin high. "If that is all you have come for, then you are to leave immediately!"

"But—" Bill shut his mouth after reading the manticore's mind. He reopened it warily, "But, of course, I'll see myself out."

Paying no mind to the amused looks and stifled giggles, he exited the dome without rush. Bill trailed down the flight of stairs and trekked past the noisy crowds of people. He kept going until he was face to face with a wall. Gazing upwards, his eyes traced over the monumental length of the wall. He checked for any invasive eyes, before teleporting to the top. Bill sat on the wall of the city, soaking in its famous image. After a second, he leaned over his legs with his head drooping. It took a lot of willpower not to set the city ablaze from frustration. These creatures were difficult and stubborn, refusing change or declining the characteristic of being humble. Just horrid things to deal with, really.

There had to be a way to break them. He had to seek into every crevice of their armor for some weakness to exploit.

Thinking on it, they did have an ongoing feud with the griffins. He briefly wondered as to how long that had been going on. Did it even occur before his 120 year memory gap?

Perhaps he could somehow use that to benefit his goal. Although, not much came to mind, for he also desired the griffins strength. Killing them in favor of the manticores was just an idiotic move. Any wrong take on their dispute could only make it harder to restore relations, if there used to be any, or make it impossible altogether. Then, a small notion asked how they even came to dislike the other. Was it over land? Gold? Glory?

He tapped his chin at such a brisk pace, his finger was a blur. Before any more thoughts to arise, however, an abrupt movement in the air shook the buildings, and even the wall. To his indignation, he had accidentally jabbed his eye from the disturbance. Bill swore loudly and kicked his legs out in anger, "What the hell?!"

Out of nowhere, an explosion resounded in the distance. Smoke and sand rose upwards as frightened yelps mix with it. The manticores in the air stayed in place, trying to catch sight of who was attacking. More blasts sent debris flying through the air, where they collided into other buildings, and whizzed past the airborne manticores. Deciding to defend their city, a majority of the manticores plunged downwards in order to terminate the attacker, whereas others guided the visitors out of danger. Regardless of their numbers, the manticores reckless charges only ended up with them flying elsewhere, returning to view with fresh injuries. Bill rubbed his eye of the pain and narrowed it. He could discern the familiar figure of the demon attacking the city.

Draven.

Of all demons, it was Draven.

Bill blinked a multitude of times. He stared for a few more moments, before a grin stretched across his features. He couldn't ask for a better situation. The blond laughed to himself, clutching his stomach as the city was being desolated, and its people were useless to bringing the demon down.

Nertou gathered himself up from his resting position and spread out his wings. He lifted himself up in the air and glided to the chaotic demon. Along with others, he intended to defend his city, despite how hectic the situation had become.

He launched himself forward, aiming to bite the demon's leg. Yet, the grotesque being only snatched him by the scruff and threw him into one of his wonderful buildings, destroying it completely. The fragments plummeted onto his downed body, pounding into every body part without mercy. The manticore shook off the pain and looked upwards, watching more of his comrades being thrown to the side like scraps of food. Nertou rose to the height of the demon. Draven turned to him again, a snarky grin on his face.

Nertou demanded, "Demon, why do you attack us?!"

"Just a deal I have to complete!" Draven laughed boisterously, "The griffins say hello!"

"Griffins…" he softly repeated. Nertou growled and shook his head, before taking off once more. He dodged the hand that came his way and sunk his teeth into the abdomen of the demon. A metallic, appalling taste filled his mouth, but he only gnawed on the flesh. Draven yowled, "Let go of me!"

With a fist of fire, the demon pummeled the manticore right on his crown. Nertou was relentless, refusing to open his bloody mouth. Bill cheered in the distance, "Whoo! Go manti!"

Piqued, Draven used both hands to snag onto Nertou's mane. He lit both hands aflame and burned right through the fur, marking his skin a fiery crimson. Howling in pain, the manticore released him. Soon after, the demon decked him in the face, adding to the pain. Draven used him as a weapon to attack his own people, flinging him towards the other manticores. He tumbled along the sand until he no longer moved. Viafria scowled with rage, "You _monster!_ "

She let loose a battle cry and dove towards the demon. Bending her head, her armor protected her from the balls of fire sent in her direction. Her sharp claws ripped into his flesh, prompting him only winced. Thought to be successful, Viafria smiled a little, until he harshly slapped her across the face.

"You bitch! That hurt!"

"I'll kill you!" She scratched him as much as she could. Her teeth also found ways to further harm him. "Your blood is mine!"

"Get… away…!" Draven hit her right in the chest, knocking the wind out of her. He whirled around and kicked her right in her back. Even the armor could not absorb most of the shock and pain as she hurtled to the ground. With a puff, she disappeared into a cloud of sand. His eyes swept across the remaining manticores surrounding him. "Anyone else want to go?!"

With the invitation, they welcomed themselves into the skirmish.

While she had been fighting, Nertou had soared past his injured and alarmed underlings. He found Bill awaiting on the wall, not a single trace of anxiety on his expression. His legs swung blithely as he whistled a random tune. The blond observed the manticore land next to him with much fatigue. He asked casually, "How's it going?"

"You—!" shouted Nertou, "You must save us! Kill the demon!"

"You want _me_ to go slay that innocent, civil demon from terrorizing your kind?" Bill placed a hand on his chest and batted his long eyelashes. Honestly, he only perfected it after Mabel had been doing it to him so much. The manticore gulped, before nodding solemnly. The blond shrugged, "Well, I sure can! Only if you agree to my proposal, though."

He snarled, "How dare you—!"

A pained scream tore through the air. Nertou flinched, but not Bill. He only tapped his wrist and said, "Clock's ticking. You _will_ pledge your loyalty to me, or face _death_. Remember, you speak for everyone!"

Bill patiently bided his time, monitoring the display of colorful emotions on the manticore's face. While also reading his frantic thoughts, the creature was an open book. It was quite interesting, actually. At first, Nertou was irate, cursing the blond for being difficult, cursing the situation for existing in the first place, and cursing himself for not being strong enough, and for being lazy and getting carried away with comfort. He, without a doubt, was not prepared for the intense retaliation of the griffins, who were obviously prepared to go to certain lengths in order to get revenge. Then, he was despondent, for not being able to live up to his status, for seeing many of his people heavily injured, for being utterly worthless when it came to defending his people.

Finally, acceptance, where he recognized he did not have the power to face the demon alone. He did not have the capability of being a leader. He believed that this was the best choice that he had made in a long while. Bill only clutched his knee with both hands and rested his chin on it. A boyish smirk was present on his face.

"Alright…" Nertou whispered. Bill cupped his ear, "What was that?"

The manticore pressed his forehead against the floor of the wall. "Yes, under my authority, Nertou of the Manticores, we pledge our loyalty!"

The prince commended, "You chose wisely."

Bill rose to his feet and floated upwards. Focusing on another point across the city, he teleported near the maniacal demon. Nertou brushed off his initial astonishment and speedily followed after the blond, hoping that he'd rid his city of the pest. The other manticores noticed the blond and backed off instantaneously. They still retained a circle around the demon, only wider.

"Hey there, buddy!" Bill waved leisurely. Draven paused in his attack, immediately identifying that annoying, high-pitched voice. Steadily, he spun around to confirm his suspicions. Lo and behold, Bill Cipher was here, in front of him, in Iran. The demon dropped the rock he was holding to stare in disbelief. What was this blond fool doing here in all places?

"Remember me?" he asked giddily. The demon chuckled, before full-blown cackling maniacally. He slapped his knee. "Of course! Everyone's favorite plaything!"

So, Adrian hadn't spread the news of his reawakening to his underlings, or at the very least, the lower class demons and monsters. Bill smirked; that worked out for him. Draven could go on believing that he couldn't do much. With this advantage, he could—

"Plaything?" Nertou cried from atop one of the buildings. He resented being played a fool. "You claimed to be a powerful prince! You dare lie?!"

Bill turned his head and only felt his eye widened at the manticore's intervention. Draven released gales of laughter. He gestured the others to focus on the blond, who were silently confused as to what they were to feel. The demon threw his arm outwards. "A powerful prince? Who are you kidding?!"

Bill fumed, yet kept a sliver of his composure. "Now, one can dream, yes?"

"You're a dream-demon, and ironically, you can't dream." Draven only said, rolling his eyes as if he was informing a child. Bill felt his fury simmering under his skin as Nertou eyed him with disgust. The other manticores were beginning to replace their distrust with umbrage. With one quick run through their minds, Bill heard their upset voices. The blond facepalmed and groaned. This stupid demon was ruining his credibility, and ruining his fun! He was going to making this entire process more difficult than it had to be, and he didn't even know the impact of it!

"Ah," Bill mumbled under his breath, "fuck this."

A fireball swirled in one hand, and with a flick of his wrist, it soared through the sky with a piercing whistle. Draven only stood still, knowing that the weak, little thing of energy wouldn't even land a scratch on his dark skin.

Or, well, that's what he previously knew—

But as a scorching pain found it's way into his gut, forcing him out of the air and into the rugged sand, he then realized, _he did not know what was going on._

His hand hovered over the thrumming burn, and he gnashed his teeth, "How?!"

Draven looked up to the boy floating above him. Despite his appearance, his human-like features were no longer so seemingly feeble. His youthful features were ominous, and his clenched fists threatened to bring forth more pain. The shadow of his form produced by the sun darkened his rage. Bill radiated an aura that spoke in volumes, one that he had never sensed before. If one were to examine closely, there was a hint of exasperation behind his strained, suave visage.

"Who... _are_ you?" Draven inquired slowly, while his wound healed rapidly. Bill furrowed his eyebrows. "Who are _you?_ The Kazoo Kid?"

The demon was taken aback. "The what?"

"Nevermind." Bill breathed, trying to shake off the thought of that vexing internet boy. Pine Tree had so graciously showed him his supposed _similarities_ to the living video meme a while ago. He clasped his hands together and grinned, "Are you ready for some payback?"

Draven glared, rising to the challenge, "Do your worst, boy!"

Bill felt a vindictive sort of glee surging through his body. He separated his palms far away from each other, only to reveal a whip of fire. Arching his arm back, he lashed it at the demon. Surprised at the action, Draven could not move away in time. The blond grasped the thin wire of energy with both hands and flung the demon across the city in an arc, where he smashed into a few buildings. They crumbled down, disappearing into a cloud of sand.

Gliding downwards, the blond anticipated where the demon would pop up from. Without warning, he was pulled deep into the sand, where only his head was visible. Draven sprung out from the earth, flames decorating his hands. He flexed his fingers and shot the fire forth. Bill heated up his own hands and feet, before thrusting himself forward, resulting in a somersault. The severe heat from his body instantly converted the sand into glass. With him inside the transparent sphere, the fire Draven shot his way had no impact.

Punching the glass, little chinks formed in the center of his fist, before the cracks spread across the sphere. The shards fell around him and atop his body, where he brushed it off.

Draven abruptly appeared next to him, attempting to catch the blond off guard. Successful, he launched a punch right up his jaw, sending him upwards. Bill stabilized himself in the air and felt his jaw, tasting the blood in his mouth. Draven flew upwards, keeping track of his opponent.

Bill snarked, "Lucky shot."

He could easily tell just how much energy Draven needed to move that fast, meaning he would not be able to do it again for a while. Bill met him halfway, exchanging blows with his fists and legs. With a quick jab to his shoulder, Bill was able to land another clean shot right on his face. Not wasting another moment, he roundhouse kicked him into the sand.

Bill awaited for him to rise this time, soaking in the heat as he floated in the open sun. Gusts of wind blew the sand to and fro, dissipating the shroud. After what seemed like a few minutes, Bill wiped his forehead of sweat and growled.

"This piece of shit couldn't take any longer to get up if he wanted to."

It seemed like the grouse worked its magic, for Draven ascended quite dramatically. His torn wings were still working fine, lifting him higher into the air. They flapped behind him with a steady cadence. His teeth glinted under the sun, as his lips pulled back to bare them. Free of physical harm, his dark body was still wrinkled with short hairs. His beady red eyes bore into Bill's single cat-like eye. They didn't trade any words, causing the spectators to question either one's next course of action.

As for Bill, he was already well aware of the demon's motives. His mind was like an open compass for Bill to follow, pointing in the direction he was aiming to go. Unluckily for him, the blond would only be in pursuit.

As soon as Draven flew upwards, Bill was already shooting a surfeit of fireballs in the sky. The demon was forced to dodge one while he continued to dived downwards. He caught sight of Bill's smirk, who vanished within a second. Disgruntled, the demon whirled his head around for the boy, only to feel a strike in his back. He was a blur, crossing the sky at a great speed due to the strength behind the attack. Regardless, his trajectory changed course as soon as another strike shot him downwards.

Another billow of sand sprung upwards, blanketing the area. Draven clawed at the sand and rose onto his feet. Infuriated, the demon unleashed a ghastly cry while hurling his own balls of fire in every which way. They decorated the sky and dissipated the mass, allowing clear vision for all.

Bill stood in front of him on level ground. He brushed of a few sand particles that managed to land on his tailored suit and scoffed, "Have you no respect? I just stole this."

"You—!" Draven heavily breathed, smoke exiting his nose. "You must have made a deal with someone! Became their little _bitch_ just to be powerful!"

Bill lost his smile. "Pardon?"

Draven found himself staring at the blue, blue sky. It was immeasurable, and unchanging, holding the sun close, as if it was a precious, golden artifact. He couldn't feel a single sense in his body. Unbeknownst to him, his entire being was scorched to a repugnant black.

"Seems like Adrian hasn't trained his demons in a while. One-hundred and twenty years, and he loses his touch. Heh, hilarious." Bill commented as he planted his foot on the weakened demon. "You think I haven't fought your kind before? I've lived for a couple of millennia, kid. You're probably one of the worst I've ever seen."

"That's… impossible." Draven closed his eyes and chuckled. Bill rose an eyebrow. "Which is?"

The demon failed to respond. Bill gazed upon him for a couple of seconds, unable to comprehend how quiet he could be. Had he just given up? Surrendered himself to inevitable death?

He really was a horrible demon.

Bill rubbed his fingers together and stole a few more moments of peace. Again, he thought back to a certain brunette. Since when had he ever paused to slay someone deserving while he was still self-aware?

He supposed the powers that he possessed and that Mabel possessed were both appropriate. Personality wise, they were both adept to being chaotic. Yet, there was still a difference between their abilities. With training, Mabel could control who and what her powers harmed. She could dictate the intensity of her power, and use it to cleanse dark energy depending on how strongly she emitted it. However, it came with the expense of not being able to use it to its full extent without losing consciousness.

He did not have that luxury of purification, or boundless energy. He only had his will.

If Mabel's powers were purgatory, then he…

He was just destruction.

The shriek that Draven bellowed only provided Bill with moderate satisfaction. The fire engulfed the demon's body, eating away at his ancient skin. Once it died down, it only left a completely charred body in its wake.

The manticores began flooding out of the buildings and encircled the blond. Nertou appeared right next to Bill, inspecting the scene to make sure that the demon had been demolished. The repulsive odor hung in the air, eliciting distasteful reactions from many of the people. Viafria approached both Bill and Nertou, and noticed the solemn look on her ruler's face. He nodded, "It is done."

She analyzed his expression. "You… You speak of something else, as well?"

Nertou did not speak, for he feared the outburst that was sure to come. Murmurs arose to tickle their ears, filling the atmosphere with uncertainty and distrust. Viafria darted her eyes between the unwavering boy and the once noble manticore. She shook her head profusely and barked, "How can we trust that _he_ is not the one that sent that demon after us, and forced us to concede?"

"You wanna know how authentic my kill was?" Bill never tore his eyes off of them as he ripped of his glove and struck his hand through Draven's burnt corpse, before yanking out disgusting insides. "Is this real enough?"

She gagged at the sight, and Nertou was mildly impressed. The tourists and manticores gave their cries of displeasure. Bill shook his bloody hand for emphasis. "I _wanted_ to kill him, and I _wanted_ your loyalty. He just happened to be here. It all worked out."

As he flung his fingers of gross bits, she concluded, "So, you were going to kill him, anyway! We didn't have to sign away our freedom!"

Bill rolled his eye. "Well, I didn't say I would kill him before he killed you all."

"That is enough, Viafria," Nertou cut in, "what's done is done."

"My liege!" she began. He asserted, "Silence! Without him, we would all be dead!"

"That's a far-fetched assumption!"

"So you would believe in my strength, but not my judgement?!" Nertou planted, stomping his paw on the sand. The noise faded, and he directed his voice to everyone watching, "Do not be so naive as to believe the world rotated because of our wings! That the sun rises and sets for us! Listen and learn!"

"No…" she whispered. He replied, in a hushed tone, "You do not know the feeling of hopelessness."

"That's what makes you _weak._ " She hissed at him. He scowled, "That is what makes us _blind._ "

"I must… request," Bill interrupted their intense conversation in a gentle tone, meant to draw in their attention, only to meticulously break them into pieces, "that you try to reconcile with the griffins."

"Are you mad?!" Viafria turned on him, her anger rekindling, "You take our freedom, then try to take our power? Our dignity and pride?!"

Then, a few from the crowd stirred along with her, refusing to stand on the sidelines. "This is outrageous!"

"Never!"

"Death is all they will get!"

Outraged cries from the surrounding manticores had no effect on the blond. He was only focused on receiving a response from the manticore in front of him.

"I will make it a top priority." Nertou stated simply. His underlings couldn't lift their jaws, not even Viafria. He asked, "But what will you decide if they initiate aggression on us?"

"No worries." Bill offered a Cheshire grin, "After I've dealt with the griffins, I'm sure we'll be able to work out our differences."

* * *

"Oh, no, I feel awful again…"

Mabel mumbled into her bed. Lifting her head, she saw the trail of drool and snot on her sheets. She whined and sat onto the edge of her bed. The brunette gathered up her sheets and crept down the stairs.

After starting the laundry, she dragged herself to the couch chair and slid into it. Laying on her side, she sneezed, before turning on the television.

"Good morn—whoa," Grunkle Stan strolled into the living room, only to see his downed grandniece. "Something bite you in your sleep?"

"What?!" She immediately perked with trepidation. "Am I poisoned?!"

"Kid—"

"Am I going to die?!"

"No, I was—"

"Am I going to turn _ugly?!_ "

"—kidding. I was kidding, I was—" Stan rose his hands, showing his empty palms, "—KIDDING."

Mabel sneezed, and he grunted with disgust. She rubbed the thick cloth of her sweater against her skin, but it barely warmed her up. Scrunching her nose, she sniffed and felt her nose dripping again. Irritably, she blew her nose in a tissue and discarded it in a nearby wastecan. Her nose was runny and stuffy, and she wasn't really sure how to take care of it. And she felt tired, too, like she had just used up all the energy in her body for nothing.

"I heard you coming down, so I wanted to get started so we could end early. But I don't think that's a good idea."

"Oh, right. I have training now." Mabel slithered to the floor, appearing like a crumpled up mess.

"Kid, you aren't looking too hot. Or, maybe you are, in a gross, sick way." Stan pressed his hand against her forehead and felt a slight warmth, yet nothing too alarming. Mabel swatted it away and sniffed, "I'm fine. Just a cold."

Stan raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

"I'm sure." Mabel straightened herself and shook her head adamantly. "C'mon, I gotta train."

"Kid, if you stress your body too much, you'll get worse."

"Psh," She waved him off, "when did you become Grunkle Ford?"

Stan rolled his eyes. "Should I be offended that you don't think I'm capable enough to know how to care?"

"No… no," she drowsily replied. Mabel patted his sullen cheeks and massaged them in little circles. "Just let me... "

She yawned, "...lemme train."

"Alright, fine." Stan sighed, unable to dissuade her from continuing. He scooted away from her and allowed her to proceed with her training. She only nodded in response, then closed her eyes. Mabel willed herself to detach from the surface of her body to dive deep within. To find that same source of energy she was beginning to be accustomed to.

Then, after what seemed like forever, she saw a stream of light piercing through the void. Warm and a harmonious blend of yellow and pink to create the rose gold she adored.

Mabel could feel her nonexistent arms reaching out to grab it. Just a little further—

Albeit not having any physical attributes, she still felt some sort of air catch in his throat. A rise of fear in her chest, gradually washing away the warmth. She felt her skin prickle and watched the light fade until she was only surrounded by darkness.

 _Scared,_ a voice whispered into her ears, _Are you scared?_

Mabel drifted away slowly, grasping onto her own being for any sort of reassurance. The voice sounded so familiar, yet she didn't want to hear it. It sounded like…

The voice was relentless, speaking right next to her and from all directions. Saying incoherent words in a hushed voice, and she only tried to muffle it more. With everything she had, she pushed it away. This was nonsensical! This was _annoying!_

Stan watched the discomfort on her face increase by the second. He called out, "Whoa! Kid!"

Her body snapped to life, and her eyes flew open. A burst of energy surged from her body. She gasped, and he cried out in pain.

"Shit! Fucking shit, that hurts!" Stan was shouting to himself and at the fresh, scorching wound on his arm. Mabel only took a second until she realized that her great uncle was in immense pain because of her own doing. She moved onto her knees and fretted, "G-Grunkle Stan, what should I—?!"

"Get a potion!"

She nodded quickly, before springing onto her feet and bolting to the kitchen. Exposed, other items in the cupboard nearly fell as she hastily snatched a potion. Mabel dashed back to where her great uncle was and popped open the vial. He hurriedly seized it from her hand, pouring the crimson liquid over his injury. Albeit the fast recovery, his mind was still racing with lingering pain.

Mabel was in absolute shock. "Grunkle Stan, I'm sorry, I-I don't know what came over me!"

"Kid!" Stan yelled, irritated, "Just… let's take a break, alright? We aren't gonna continue training today."

"Yeah, o-okay." She eyed him one more time, before fleeing to her room. Unable to cope, she found herself hiding in her sweater. Mabel hugged her knees close and felt tears sting her eyes. She drowned out the sound of the television blaring through the shack.

She would _never_ hurt her family! She had no idea why she lost control like that!

Mabel believed, with the right training and immense support, that learning how to control this power would be easy! She remembered when she and Dipper learned how to play mini-golf for the first time. Their parents were very patient with every missed swing, or every lost golf ball. It was a charming experience.

And… and even learning how to knit! Her parents didn't know how to knit, so Mabel went ahead and studied some of the old people in their local area. They were very nice, they gave her snacks and juice boxes. They gifted her with some of her own tools and yarn to start off. At first, she would constantly tangle herself in the strings or lose her grip on the knitting needles. However, it was second nature to her, now, even if it had taken some time.

And this, this could be the same. But what had just occurred was automatic, like reacting to a threat, defending herself from an enemy. Grunkle Stan was no enemy, of course. Yet, with all her senses gone, it was like she completely forgot where she had been. Mabel only sensed the chill seeping into her bones and the darkness swallowing her whole.

 _Scared?_

She heard it say.

 _Are you scared?_

"Scared of what?" Mabel whispered to herself. She broke free from her knitted prison. "I'm not scared of anything!"

The room was dim with its lack of light, now that she realized. The frost on the window seemed to crawl over the tinted glass. A gust blew over to create an eerie, faint howl. She stalked over to the light switch and flipped it. Flickering at first, the light bulbs came to life, diffusing a glow over the attic. If one were to observe closely, there were specks of dust floating in the air.

Mabel kneeled in front of the open closet and dragged out a large box. She lifted the lid off, before reaching inside. Grabbing a couple balls of yarn and her knitting pins, she tossed them on her bed. They bounced on the mattress, and one even plopped onto the floor, yet she paid it no mind. The brunette closed the box and pushed it back inside the closet, underneath the hanging clothes, with her foot. She turned around and aimed for her bed, picking up the fallen ball of yarn on the way.

An idea was already present in her head. She would knit an apology sweater for her Grunkle Stan, even if she's already made him a myriad of sweaters.

Wrapping the string around her fingers, she held the needles in her hands, and began her new project.

* * *

Silence.

A dull vicinity, painted red. A scarlet red that bled into the snow, all the way down into the hidden ground. Motionless bodies together, huddled together for the last speck of warmth.

Then, wailing.

Black and white cars pulled up along the border. Doors were jerked open and cops flooded into the once quiet scene. An officer ordered, "Search the area!"

There was nothing.

And then—

"Sir, we found someone!"

A brown-haired boy, wearing a cap with a pine tree. He was half-buried in the snow, out cold against the sturdy trunk of a tree. Officers left and right were speedily checking for a heartbeat and wounds. There were no injuries, yet there was the sound of his heart. Groggily, the boy opened his eyes, and was met with a plethora of unfamiliar faces.

An officer asked, "Boy, what is your name?"

"What…?" He blinked and groaned. Red and blue lights seeped into his vision. The officer pressed, "Your name?"

"It's…" He took a moment to remember. "It's Dipper. Dipper Pines."

"Alright."

Abruptly, a pair of handcuffs were found upon his wrists. They hoisted him upwards and dragged him to one of the blinding cars. The officer told him, "You're under arrest for the suspected murder of four people. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law—"

As he listed off the traditional speech, Dipper zoned out. It was still registering in his mind that he was being arrested.

 _Murder?_

* * *

 _He stared out into the dullness. A sad thought, appearing abruptly, yet inevitably._

" _I'm the only player."_

* * *

 **I have a new cover! Feel free to check it out!**

 **Until next time!**


	44. Chapter 44

**（；** **^ω^** **）• • •**

 **apologies for being late.**

 **to the anon, my schedule fluctuates. but it's usually monthly updates. (I know, it's horrid. I'll try to change that.)**

 **check my tumblr for updates, or to send questions. (located in my bio). don't be afraid to PM me for updates, either.**

 **lovely—** _ **lovely—**_ **reviews** _ **.**_ **they bring me absolute and utter joy.**

 **here we are...**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

 _A frustrated sigh escaped him in the form of a wispy cloud. A wish could be really helpful, right about now._

* * *

There were no fierce winds, nor pelting bullets of icy water. It was only a frozen land, seemingly trapped within a pocket of time. Hushed conversations drifted to be collected in the snow. A respectful type of quietness hung above the hick town due to the recent events. When happiness arose, it was raw, and perhaps, desperate. A subtle fear lodged itself into many hearts.

The Gravity Falls Police Department was no exception to the eerie serenity of it all. The center of the building was simple, cube-shaped and somewhat ragged along its edges. Old, black graffiti stained the walls, created by the typical rebellious, artsy teen. Near the entrance rested a golden pole with two significant, familiar cloths. The American flag was still raised high in pride, with the Gravity Falls flag right underneath it. Inside, the policeman at the reception desk lazily tapped away at his phone, engaged in an addictive game.

On either side of the center building were two wings. To the right, there were the offices. Counters protruding from the sides allowed for snacks and coffee machines to perch upon it. Adequately sized cubicles separated the officers in order to prevent as much distraction as possible. They were small areas used to fill in reports and file in their paperwork. Only a couple were forced to stay behind, begrudgingly fulfilling the more dull aspects of their jobs.

And on the left side, holding cells were situated. With Gravity Falls possessing a considerably minimal population and quaint characteristics, there wasn't a whole lot of hold up when it came to most cases. Usually, the biggest of the baddies just went straight to maximum security. However, this case was not like most cases the town has seen.

A deafening silence hung in the hall of the prison cells. It crept into each cage and rattled them without making noise. Periodically, a constant series of chimes sounded from one particular section. It shattered the silence, yet that did nothing but increase the ominous ambience. Outside that specific cell, an officer was sitting down next to it, keeping watch. He nodded along to a song stuck in his head, one that didn't even match the rhythm of the disruptive rings. His hands rubbed his arms, trying to fend off the oddly intense chill.

Resting on his legs, Dipper had one hand on a bar, with the other relentless in motion. He brushed the mug between the bars of the cell, aiming for those chimes to gain attention. For what, he wasn't sure, since there really wasn't anyone besides himself and the officer. After what seemed like the next half-hour had passed, he dropped his hand and sighed. The officer outside glanced at his sullen form, before shifting in his seat.

He remarked, "That's too bad."

Dipper glanced upwards, seeing if the officer had been speaking to someone else. However, there was no one there in front of him, and he wasn't talking on the phone or any other device. The boy peeked at him from under the rim of his hat. "What is?"

"I don't have any change on me, so I can't give you coins."

"Oh," Dipper squinted his eyes, "that's… alright."

The officer chortled into his hand. He shook his head and gestured, "No, no, it's not alright. And neither is this."

Dipper rested his cheek on one hand, twirling the mug in the other, "And what is 'this'?"

He shrugged and offered him a sideways look. "This whole… predicament you've gotten tangled in."

Dipper scrunched his face in bewilderment. "What do you mean?"

"Well, between you and me," the older man leaned closer to the cell and whispered, as if he were keeping a secret from the whole world, "I think that you're a pretty cool kid."

Dipper froze, the mug dropping from his hand. He slowly rose his face in shock, attempting to spot any signs of deceit on the officer's visage. Finding nothing but a grin, he returned it with his own warm one. It felt strange to him, with someone outwardly telling him that he didn't see him as guilty. Someone who was not a family or friend, but a part of the police force himself.

It was relieving. The circumstances appeared like a lost cause for the boy. Who would believe him when there was no one else that was there to have done it? Especially with the state he'd found himself in…

But here he was, proven wrong. The brunet fixed himself onto his bottom and crossed his legs. He inquired politely, "...What's your name?"

"Steve." He tipped his cap. "Nice to be acquainted."

"Really?" Dipper questioned bluntly, sending him another confused look. The officer was a bit slow with the sudden incredulity. "What?"

"Acquainted?" Dipper pointed at himself, "With me?"

"What's the problem?"

"You don't think I'm some psycho?" for effect, he waved his hands around for a moment. The officer only snorted and laid back, arms crossed behind his head.

"It would be hard to believe. You're pretty famous around these parts for being..." Steve rolled his wrist in a circular motion, "smart and whatnot."

"Hm…" was all Dipper could sound out. He puffed his cheeks slightly at the justification. Steve noticed this almost immediately. He tapped his thigh and thought about what he said. That didn't seem like such a reasonable answer, in all honesty. He further stated, "It just doesn't seem likely. Besides, you don't seem all too bad to me."

The frown on Dipper's face was wiped away, once again replaced by awe. He only gaped, dumbfounded. It just seemed all too good to be true. He lowered his head and replied with a wobbly voice.

"Thanks."

"Ah," the officer glanced at him once more, "don't mention it, kid."

Dipper nervously laughed. "I never properly introduced myself. Call me Dipper, although you probably already knew that…"

They awkwardly shook hands, despite the barrier between them. The officer slightly inclined his body towards the cell, in case more conversation was to arise. There was a passing serenity between them. Dipper leaned against the metal bars, letting the cold seep into his skull. His arms were folded on his lap. A couple more moments passed by, before he broke the ice.

"So," he began, "how's working as a police officer? Is it different from being a Soul Fighter?"

Despite being slightly thrown off by the choice of question, Steve answered normally, "Well, a little. Soul Fighters are meant to protect the people from monsters and stuff. Officers are meant to protect people from… well, people. It's a good way to distribute the whole _responsibility of protection_."

"Huh, I see…" Dipper nodded slowly. Steve returned a question, "What about you? What do you do as the headmistress' personal strategist?"

"Uh, you know, things." He wasn't exactly sure if he was allowed to reveal that he knew a lot more about most people than they would think… or like. Where they work, when they're off work, what they like to do off work, their basic characteristics… the like. His memory was good for those things.

Regardless, he didn't know anything about this fellow and his associates. The papers of the police department was just a file away, yet he hadn't been able to reach it yet due to time. The day was so short, after all. "Things the Princess may not want me to say."

"I get you. I know all about being secret-y." The officer winked, before his face fell and he asked, "Wait, Princess?"

"Uh, j-just a little name I have for her." Dipper rubbed the back of his neck in a bashful manner. Steve smirked a little, "Are you two close?"

"Shouldn't we be?" Dipper stuffed his hands in his lap. With a shrug, the younger boy quickly moved on, "Why not tell me more about your job?"

"Eh, there's not much else." Steve continued to explain, "Basically, we're just trying to keep the average, everyday citizen safe."

"So, are you on the job, like, all day?" Dipper looked left and right, down the halls. Well, as much as he could, anyway. "Where are the others?"

"Probably inspecting the scene. Only need a few to hold the base. We've got myself, the receptionist, a couple in the cubicles…" he snorted, "Probably doing weird things in there, heh."

"Oh," Dipper blanched, "when you said _couple_ , I didn't think you meant _that_."

Steve simpered, "You're still a kid. I should have watched myself."

"I think I gain enough attention, thank you very much." Dipper countered hotly.

"I'm sure it'll be a problem in the future." The officer jested, "You'll have to buy quite a lot of flowers for forgiveness."

Dipper clicked his tongue and looked away, denying to think of such a task in the future. Steve only chortled at his reaction. After catching his breath, he patted the wall and rubbed the specks off of his fingers. "This place is pretty worn out, though. I see why most of them wouldn't wanna be here when it comes crashin' down."

The two shared light chuckles at the thought. Dipper rose a brow with an amused smirk, "I'm sure the building can hold until your retirement."

"Eh," the officer shrugged, "you'd be surprised."

Dipper smiled at him, until he brought his gaze onto his lap. His mouth morphed into a thin line.

"You think they're all out there just to stay away from me?"

"Huh?" Steve let the word slip out. He turned in his seat to properly face the kid. "No, no… don't think like that."

Dipper looked up with an unconvinced look. Steve scratched the back of his head, in hopes that it would help him think up of a better way to reassure the younger boy. He sighed and decided to clarify.

"It's not just me. I'm pretty sure more than enough of my colleagues believe that you aren't at fault. It was only protocol."

Dipper stared at his hands and rubbed his fingers together as he pondered, before accepting the response. He worked alongside someone very well-known for her reputation, at the end of the day. She wouldn't just pick anyone for the job. People had a good reason to put as much faith in him as they put in her.

"I understand." The boy nodded and exhaled with relief and gratitude. "Then, who do you think did it?"

Steve bit the tip of his thumb, "I'm really not sure. But, if I were to guess, I'd say someone who—"

A voice echoed. "Dipper!"

"Mabel?!" Dipper shot up from where he was sitting and pressed his face into the bars. Steve sat up straighter and whirled his head to the source of the voice, curious what had caused the sudden commotion. In the main room, the temperature had dropped a considerable amount, due to the wide opening of the doors. The action permitted a surge of frigid air to sweep inside. Wearing a thick jacket, the cold didn't bother her, anyway. Mabel bolted forward and slammed her hands on the desk, "Where is my brother?!"

The officer replied, bored, "Down the hall, to your left. Can't miss him."

"Okay, thank you!" she said just as aggressively. Her great uncles trailed after her as she hurried into the corridor. She imagined marching past tattooed criminals and moaning prisoners on her way to the cell, yet there was nothing but dim lights and silence. It wasn't long before her eyes caught the sight of her imprisoned twin. Stan and Ford both released their breaths, while Mabel gasped, "Dipper!"

"Mabel!" his face lit up.

Just as she was about to run up to him, Steve stepped in between. "Whoa, there, little Miss! Can't touch the prisoner!"

"And why not?!" she grouched, placing her hands on her hips. Stan sighed, "It's just the rules, sweetie."

"One that we're a little too familiar with…" Ford said, and he looked to the side as if the memories were playing in front of him. Stan snickered, "Reminds me of that time you tried to reach me and ended up being tackled to the ground."

"They nearly ripped my clothes trying to search me for weapons…" Ford mumbled, "Of course, I was carrying other items."

"It took you, like, a whole hour to pick all of that stuff up."

"It was only about twenty minutes! And I had to organize!" Ford stressed, "I have adhesives in this pocket and pens over here! And a lot of other completely necessary things."

"Damn nerd." Stan spread his hands. "Your coat is like a _cabinet!_ "

"Wow, I'm so _glad_ you guys are here to help me in my time of need." Dipper interrupted.

"Oh, right." Ford shook his head to clear his thoughts, then looked at his grandnephew, "How are you holding up?"

"I'm in a cell," Dipper deadpanned, "and it's _cold_."

"Right, not a good question."

"Damn, kid, I wasn't arrested until I was around twenty. You keep surprising us with things like this." Stan whistled, impressed. Ford smacked him, "This is not the time for that! And you shouldn't be impressed!"

"Well, honestly, I'm a little impressed with myself, if that's fair?" Dipper added from afar. "It seems like a pretty good record to set."

"You know what? I'm starting to wonder if we _do_ have to establish punishments." Ford groaned. "Trying to get arrested at a young age is not a good goal to set!"

Stan scoffed with his nose pointed upwards, "Neither is causing explosions from weird experiments, but you didn't seem to care!"

Dipper's eyes sparkled. "You tried to blow up people, Grunkle Ford?"

"No, I did not try to blow up people! They were just in the way."

"Still could've hurt someone, or your own reputation." Stan asserted in a mocking voice.

Ford frowned. "They were for science!"

" _HEY!_ "

The four males jumped in surprise at the shriek. Mabel growled in exasperation, "I've been spending the last five minutes trying to pass this guy with sweet karate moves and all that, and he's not budging! Can someone help me out here?"

"All I've been doing was moving side to side while you tried to run past me…" Steve replied earnestly. Mabel glared, "No one asked _you!_ "

"Yeesh, have _you_ tried asking the man?" Dipper pointed out. Mabel hummed with contemplation, before nodding resolutely.

"Lemme through, you…" she checked his badge, "Steve!"

Dipper said, "That's… not asking."

Mabel paused, before furrowing her eyebrows. A thought occurred to her, and fled her mouth before she could contain it.

"Your name is Steve?" Mabel asked, eyeing the officer up and down. He answered, "Yes, why?"

She abruptly felt a little embarrassed for bringing up special interest in his name. "Nothing, it's just surprising to find someone else with a name that I associated with a forest guardian."

"What?"

"Nothing, I said!" Mabel waved it off like a fly near her face. "Anyway, can't you just, like, move out of the way and let me through?!"

The officer gave her a look. "And why would I do that?"

"So I can hug him, and then strangle him!" Mabel snarled with a glint in her eye. The officer made a move to take out his baton in case she attacked, but she only crossed her arms and huffed. Their great uncles seemed to be greatly taken aback with her unexpected statement. Ford angrily whispered to his twin, "What have you been teaching her?"

Stan held his hands up in defense and shook his head, dismissing any relation to her current volatile mood. Steve said kindly, "You're Mabel, aren't you? I'm surprised words like that are coming out of your mouth. I've heard that you're the nicest thing that ever skipped the streets."

"Oh, wow, you've heard of me?" Mabel perked up momentarily, before she grumbled, "I mean, I'm just mad right now!"

"What?!" Dipper finally voiced, throwing his hands up with disbelief. "But I'm innocent!"

He couldn't believe that his own _twin sister_ was planning on hurting him because he happened to be there _unintentionally._ He didn't _want_ this ordeal to cause a huge issue amongst his family. And he greatly expected her to be a lot more supportive, or at the very least, _understanding_ , of where he currently was.

Mabel palmed her face, before throwing it up in the air with him. "But this—this whole thing is a mess that you shouldn't be caught in!"

"Oh, dear," Ford stepped up to intervene while the two faced him, "we understand your pain. But you can't blame him for being dragged here. It's… just an unfortunate situation."

Her eyes softened, before she looked back at her brother. She felt an indistinguishable feeling run over her skin.

 _No._

She replied harshly, "I'm… still not okay with him _being_ here."

Dipper glared at her from behind the bars. "And that's somehow my fault?"

"Oh, just look where you're standing. What in the world are you doing here, Dipper?!" Mabel announced to the entire building, "Prison! You're in _prison!_ "

"That's _so_ helpful, sis! Please, continue!" Dipper shouted back, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Mabel questioned, "What do you want me to do?! Break you out?!"

The officer put his hand on the handle of his baton, where Mabel only scowled at him, "Oh, just take it out, won't you?!"

"Can we just take a moment to breathe, for a second?" Ford attempted, yet no one except his brother had turned to him this time. Nonetheless, he continued, "Come on, in and out."

"I should be concerned, but I am greatly entertained…" Stan said to himself, then patted his clothes, "Where is my camera when I need it?"

"You shouldn't throw those words around like that, little Miss." Steve recommended, "Others might get the wrong idea."

"Alright, I won't break him out." Mabel flippantly encouraged, "Why don't you break him out for me?"

"I—huh?!"

"Mabel, what are you even saying right now?" Dipper cut in, "You aren't making _any_ sense!"

"I don't know," Mabel shrugged obnoxiously, "I guess I'm trying to make as much sense of this as I can!"

"No, you're _not_." He hissed, "You're just…"

His eyes widened with recognition. Mabel also paused, interested with what had caught his attention. Ford and Stan awaited for his explanation. Steve stood to the side and watched what would happen next.

"You know what? I get it." Dipper said suddenly as he folded his arms. He gulped, hoping this wouldn't set her too far off, but it had to be said. "You shouldn't be here."

Mabel narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"You can't handle the situation at hand, and that's perfectly fine." Dipper gazed at her with sympathetic eyes, yet she found herself tensing up. He resumed in a steady voice, "You should leave and come back when you're ready."

"You—I—what?!" she could only splutter. Regaining some composure, she cleverly retorted, "I can _too!"_

"Grunkle Ford and Grunkle Stan are handling themselves fine, but you're all over the place! Why?" he placed his hands on his chest. "I'm the one in this situation, _not_ _you_. I'm the one behind bars, the one with pending fate, and the one who had people that… I _couldn't_ protect."

His eyes trailed to the floor, ignoring the burning stares from his family members. "And I'm the one who needs… support."

Dipper looked up with pleading eyes, raw with desperation. They sent her swaying, and her mind reeling. Like she was rewinding on all previous thoughts. She blinked rapidly, and stared at him as if she was seeing him for the first time. Catching herself, she kept herself upright and pretended as though everything wasn't just about to flip upside down. There was another word that would better describe him, if the word _convincing_ wasn't to be used. Her chest tightened painfully. Stammering, she argued, "I-I am—!"

 _Are you?_

She choked on her own spit. The building resonated with abrupt silence. Mabel surveyed around to find everyone staring at her with stunned looks. Her great uncles both kept a cautious air, like they were worried about what she was about to do next. Stan felt like reaching out, yet kept his hand at his side. Ford only looked away and began hammering his mind for feasible reasons for her distressed state. Her eyes stopped on the officer, who still gripped the handle of his baton for any sudden movement. She felt... _crazy_ , but she was definitely _not_ crazy! A melancholic frown etched into her face.

"...You're right," she lifted her hands to feign surrender. "I don't think I'm helping out here."

Breathing deeply, she filled her lungs with cold air and let it nip at her skin. She avoided any eyes. "I have... sweaters to knit, a pig to love, and... other things!"

Her brother called out to her sadly, "Mabel…"

She let her hands hang at her sides. Meeting Dipper's eyes, Mabel uttered quietly, "...I'm leaving."

The girl turned on her heel and grazed past her great uncles. She exited the building before anyone could stop her. Embracing the cold air, she didn't stop walking until the police department was out of her sight. Back in the corridor, a pregnant silence fell upon them all once more, filling each with apprehension. Dipper looked up at his great uncles with a concerned gaze. "Is there... something wrong with her?"

"I'm… not sure…" Ford tapped his chin, relentlessly considering the possible factors. Stan shrugged, "Well, she is somewhat sick."

"Still?" Ford asked, in which his twin nodded. The scientist said, "I suppose she must feel irritated, then?"

"And she might feel bad for burning me…"

"She burned you?" Ford inquired, "When?"

"Eh, earlier, but maybe I'm stretching it a little. It wasn't horribly serious."

"Maybe she feels partially responsible for my arrest for no reason?" Dipper proposed. His great uncles both visibly considered it, much to the officer's befuddlement. Steve furrowed his eyebrows at the lack of logic in that suggestion. He rolled his eyes and plopped into his seat, "Or maybe you can just ask her yourselves?"

"That's probably the best option." Ford agreed, "We can try talking to her later."

"I don't know." Dipper interjected, "Maybe you should let her come to you than going to her."

"Oh, well, we usually just go after her—"

"She might find it annoying, and then refuse to tell you anything." The younger boy warned, "She is getting older, after all."

"Right, rebellious teen years!" Stan voiced, "How could we forget?"

Ford instantly paled at a particular thought. "True, she is a… growing _female_ , so perhaps she's beginning to… _experience_ —"

Stan shut him up with his hand. "Alright, let's not go there."

Ford tore away the hand from his mouth and glowered. Although the discussion seemed light and cordial, the atmosphere was still heavy with tension. He said in a low voice, "I guess this is for the best… We just need to give her some space. People deal with grief differently…"

"The faster we clear this up, the faster things go back to normal." Stan advised, "Why don't we look for the real culprit now?"

"Where would we start?" Ford turned to his grandnephew, who only shrunk a little. Dipper informed them sheepishly, "Uh, all I can tell you is that the thing was hideous."

"'Thing'? So it wasn't a person?" Stan turned to his twin. Ford furrowed his eyebrows, "These attacks are too coordinated for a random monster. Either this creature is smart, or someone is using it."

"We can go through the people of the town." Stan said.

"It's the best idea we have. We'll visit you tomorrow, Dipper! Hopefully, this'll clear up in no time." Ford waved, in which the younger boy waved back. The great uncles hastily walked away from the cell. Just as Ford was about to open the doors, they were forced open from the other side. Pacifica glided into view, undaunted by the astounded stares. The great uncles traded looks for a second, before they continued on their way. She called behind her, "I better get a report of your progress, Stanford."

"Roger that." He saluted, albeit she didn't see it. He only brushed it off and followed after his twin. They strolled along the sidewalk, side by side.

"So we know that normal citizens couldn't have done it." Stanford explained carefully, "They have little to no power that could take down a full-fledged Soul Fighter."

"And here's why you're wrong!" Stan said weirdly cheerful and pointed at him, causing Ford to flinch away. His scrunched up face only further displayed his discomfort. Stan ignored it and proceeded, speaking in a dramatic tone, "Maybe a citizen had been hiding in the dark, waiting for the perfect moment to unleash his powers and take control over this town!"

"That's… a… _wild_ assumption."

"But it is possible!"

"Anything could be possible, but you aren't supposed to consider every single possibility, or you'll never get the mystery solved." Ford told him, before asking, "Ever heard of Occam's Razor?"

"Who now? His what? Razor?" Stan looked at his twin like he was nonsensical, "Why are we talking about a guy's razor?"

"No, not a literal razor!" Ford pinched his nose bridge and took a deep breath. He tried again, "Alright. What about the law of parsimony?"

"Law of purse and money?"

" _Parsimony_."

"Repeating the word doesn't help."

"It's another name for Occam's Razor."

"That guy and his razor again?"

"It's a law—"

"Ew, what are you even going on about, anymore? You went from razors back to laws? Don't talk any more about rules, Poindexter!" Stan pressed his palms together and used it to give his words a greater effect. "We need to focus on who is the true criminal!"

"The law of parsimony is not a part of a system of rules we follow! It's a scientific _principle!_ It basically means that the _simplest_ thing that could have happened is _probably_ what happened!"

"Your _mumbo jumbo_ is getting us nowhere. We need to get moving!" Stan clapped his hands loudly. "Chop chop! Vroom vroom! Choo choo! All those noises that they make! The people-who-know-what-they're-doing vehicles are leaving the station!"

With that, Stan hightailed to the first place he wanted to check for clues: the library, because it was a quiet building brewing with evil. Ford only sighed and tried not to muse on exactly what vehicle would make a _chop chop_ noise. He reluctantly began to follow his brother, but not without reviewing his own words.

 _Then, if I'm right, the simplest possibility would be…_

Ford shook his head.

 _No, it can't be. Maybe this isn't Occam's Razor, after all…? A true mystery._

Meanwhile, at the Gravity Falls Police Department, Pacifica didn't bother speaking to the officer at the reception desk. When she arrived at her destination, she hadn't spared Dipper a glance. Strolling right up to the officer, she took one look at his name on his badge and asked in a sickeningly sweet voice, "So, tell me, _Steve_. Why is my personal strategist locked up in a cell?"

While her eyes inspected her gloves for any marks, Steve was sweating bullets in winter.

"Heee…" Steve stretched out, before clearing his throat and responding, "He was a-arrested for… for the, uh, s-suspected murder of thr—I mean, four people."

The officer took a deep breath through his nose, struggling to keep a professional expression with invisible daggers stabbing him. Pacifica only bore her eyes into the depths of his soul.

"Run that by me again," she requested, " _correctly_."

Desperate to not repeat the statement another time, he clearly informed her sans eye contact. "Dipper Pines has been arrested for the suspected murder of four people."

"Okay." Pacifica clasped her hands together and breathed in and out, annoyed. "Now, let me ask you. Do you _think_ he murdered them?"

"If it were my honest opinion," Steve replied mechanically, "then I would say no, ma'am."

"And in what scenario would you be saying _yes?_ "

"The one where... he was the only person found surrounded by corpses."

"Of course…" she muttered, before raising her volume, "You wouldn't think to check the trees or for any traps, would you? You hoisted him right up and stuffed him into your car and drove off thinking all was well."

"There… was no movement, it was a ghostly area."

"Oh, the naivete," she shook her head, "What would have happened if more people died because you all had just let the perpetrator slip out from underneath?"

"Pacifica."

"Dipper," she turned to him, unsmiling, "it's so nice to see you, again, while you're in a _cell_. How're you?"

"Pacifica," Dipper said slowly, "I know this goes badly for the whole 'trust' thing, but I _swear_ I didn't mean to get in here."

"I'm _sure_ you didn't. Just like how I _swore_ to never be here to get you off the hook. But here we are." Pacifica used her hand to gesture to their surroundings. Steve mouthed, "Ouch… She's good."

He subtly nodded approvingly at Dipper, who pointedly ignored him. She massaged her forehead and sighed. "Just save me the talk and tell me what I need to know. What do you remember?"

"It was hideous, I know that's for sure," Dipper tapped his chin, before surrendering to his faulty memory, "but I was knocked out before I could see what it was exactly. I think I was the first one to be knocked out."

"Can't you remember anything else? You aren't exactly helping yourself out here." Pacifica urged, but he only shook his head. "I can't."

"Dipper." Pacifica drawled, "Think."

Dipper included, "Here, I could say that maybe it wasn't human. That it _might_ be collaborating with one of the townsfolk."

"And that's it?"

"That's it." He confirmed.

"You… You can't just give up!" she exclaimed. He retorted, "I'm not giving up, I'm telling you that that's it."

She faltered, yet still tried to pinpoint a reason for his lack of information. "You aren't trying _hard_ enough!"

"How about you aren't listening to me? Everything else I remember is just black."

Pacifica let out a frustrated groan. She closed her eyes and focused on keeping a stable mind. Cracking one eye open, she noted the absence of anxiety from his eyes. Shouldn't he be worried, as well? At least a twitch in his eye would indicate that she was not feeling alone in this. Usually, he would come up with a plan, and rarely act impulsively unless someone's life depended on it. However, no sort of rambling was coming from his mouth. It's as if he left his destiny in the hands of her and his great uncles.

"You're so… calm about this," Pacifica said in a smaller voice, one that he rarely heard from her, "It's not like you've been imprisoned before!"

Dipper appeared to be surprised for a second, before he replied with a matter-of-fact tone, "I just don't think we have to waste our time nurturing our emotions. I know where that leads to…"

He briefly thought of his distraught sister, before shaking his head. "You're making me repeat something that's obviously not working."

She let out a sound of disbelief. "What else do I do? I can't replay the scenario in front of me. You were the only one alive there."

"And that's what landed me here in the first place." Dipper sighed and leaned against the wall. "I feel like I'm going in circles, here, and I'm not even moving."

She glared straight at him. He moved his scowl to the floor, before dropping the expression in exchange for a solemn one.

"I thought you'd understand."

Pacifica had tried to retain her hardened expression, but it visibly fell. Her shoulders slackened a little, making her posture not as taut and intimidating. She turned her head to the side so that the officer wouldn't stare.

 _He must have been thinking his brain off the whole time_ , Pacifica mulled over, _And he already confirmed for himself that he's stuck._

This was partly her fault, anyway. If she had thought to reinforce the defenses with more than just _ten_ measly Soul Fighters, then maybe more people wouldn't have died. Then the creature or criminal could have been caught right then and there. She lifted her hands, only to grip the side of her arms. The weighing feeling of defeat was beginning to settle in her chest, just as it had been doing earlier this morning. Nestling next to it was a strong sense of guilt for putting her friend through this.

"And you swear it?" she asked in a phlegmatic tone. Her azure eyes searched him, within him, for anything. He stared back with indistinct emotion, but it didn't seem _quite_ there. He nodded, never leaving her eyes. " _Yes._ "

She held his gaze for a second longer, until she dropped it with a sigh. "Then I have no more use being here. I'll take my leave."

The headmistress nodded to the officer in acknowledgement, before turning away from the cell. She barely made it three steps until he called out from behind her.

"Pacifica!"

She paused and huffed, narrowing her eyes at him. "What is it?"

The corner of his lips quirked upwards. "Thanks."

Her chest swelled with unidentifiable glee. Pacifica's eyes widened, before she turned away and replied haughtily. "Don't thank me yet, we still have to get you out of there."

With pink dusting her cheeks, Pacifica aimed to leave the building apace. A bittersweet smile painted her lips, and she felt refreshed with newfound energy. There was something about his appreciation that made her feel tingly and warm. She had received gratitude every now and then from citizens or students, and it was always welcomed, albeit she never showed it. Even so, her arms felt like coming together with clenched fists, but… not in anger. To her, the sensation was weird, yet enjoyable.

However, as she was exiting the doors, it seemed like slow motion fell upon the world. Her head gradually turned while she passed by a _particular_ redhead. In the corner of her eye was the teenager's begrudging emo boyfriend, who was being dragged behind. Pacifica paid no mind to him, however, as the redhead also turned her head.

Their eyes met, only for a split second.

Then the teenager turned her head right back around and continued on her merry way, her boyfriend still in tow. Pacifica felt a hitch in her step while gazing at the older girl's back. She blinked, before resuming on her path to the outside, like nothing had happened. It's not like anything _did_ happen, anyway. They didn't even converse, they only held _very_ minimal eye contact. So, why did she feel pins and needles using her heart as a pincushion?

The sheriff was leaning against the car and nodded in her direction. "Did you get anything good?"

"No, he didn't have much to work with." Pacifica responded in a clipped tone. Donna, the sheriff, only raised a questioning eyebrow, yet didn't comment. The burly woman situated herself in front of the steering wheel. Pacifica slid into the passenger seat and slammed the door closed. The sheriff inhaled sharply, "Easy, now!"

"Right…" Pacifica willed herself to relax against the seat and ordered, "Drive."

"Alright." The sheriff only said, not looking to start an argument. She revved up the engine and drove off in the direction of the crime scene.

In her years of working, she had occasionally updated herself with the current headmistress. It would make sense to cooperate, after all. And it has proven it's worth time and time again. She was grateful for the girl's genuine concerns for the town. When she first met her, she didn't really know what to expect. The sheriff thought she would be dealing with a talented kid who wouldn't last when it came to dealing with the school, along with the higher ranked Soul Fighters.

Back then, four years ago, Donna didn't know how to make sense of her being so… _young._ Someone who hadn't even graduated elementary school had topped everyone in skill level, despite by just a scratch. She remembered sitting among peers, staring at that little girl who was the only one standing in the midst of fallen, unconscious fighters. That little girl held an air as if she was born to win, yet, that in itself seemed… empty.

"Here we are again." Donna stepped out of the car. She subtly checked over the girl again, and grew slightly worried. She held no qualms over her abilities, but with a case like this, it may just be too… intense. Death was a very cruel, but very real, thing. It wasn't something easy to get used to. Although, down their line of work, it would be prevalent, one way or another, and the headmistress would have to learn how to deal with it the right way.

Pacifica made her way out of the vehicle and into the frozen land. Silently, she began walking ahead of the older woman, who quickly caught up with her. The two found themselves crossing over police tape, and soon among other police officers. A female detective came over to greet them, but one glance at the headmistress' face had her skip right over it. Pacifica started the discussion in a mechanical tone, "The accused, Dipper Pines, swears to withhold no information other than being knocked out of the fight and that the culprit was 'hideous.'"

There was a moment of contemplative silence. Pacifica tiredly blew out air, absent-mindedly gazing at the wispy cloud that formed from it. "And so we can assume he may have been knocked out before anything happened to the others, and that the criminal is a creature or a person using the creature. With more evidence, we can deduce what is more likely to be correct."

Pacifica set her sights on the detective, who immediately gathered her thoughts.

"Yes, right." She cleared her throat and beckoned the two superiors to follow her through the scene. "Now, we don't exactly know what time this occurred, nor how long the Soul Fighter had survived. Although, it's safe to say this happened between ten o'clock in the morning and noon. One of the victims, a citizen, had a scheduled appointment, in which the doctor grew concerned and reported her missing at eleven thirty."

The sheriff rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Did you check in with each of the victim's histories?"

"Yes, two of them are known to take a mile walk before lunch to work up an appetite, the one with the appointment was blind, and the Soul Fighter was designated to be in the area, along with Mr. Pines." The detective took a breath, then continued to inform them, "The two walkers, a couple, and the blind woman were not known to be acquainted with each other or the Soul Fighters."

Donna glanced at Pacifica, who was motionless beside her. The sheriff inquired, "And what of the scene itself?"

"Thanks to the environment, we can make our inferences. However, the environment is also the reason why we cannot find our solid evidence, since everything appears as though it could have happened at any time. The blood is cold and dry, and the bodies are in the same state."

The detective used her hands to motion out a box. "We do know that with the bodies being so close together, the sequence of events happened within a short period."

Donna asked, "What else do you know?"

"The three citizens died within seconds by brutal gashes," the detective held up three fingers, before displaying an open palm, "whereas the Soul Fighter presumably bled to death. He had suffered an open wound that went straight through the right side of his abdomen."

The detective led them to another part of the crime scene. Pacifica tried to ignore the awful lingering stench, or the patches of darkened blood in the white snow. She struggled to keep her hands still at her sides, and made quite an effort to refrain from allowing her disgust to show.

"You see this?" the detective said, pointing her finger at the disturbed snow. "This pathway in the snow leads right here, where the boy was found half-buried."

They were found in front of a tree, which was visibly more colored than the rest. The detective explained, "If you see above this spot, there's a lesser amount of snow on several branches than other parts of the tree."

Donna nodded. "I see. So the pathway was made by…"

"Mr. Pines." The detective finished for her, before moving on, "It appears that he was struck, where he slid across the snow and collided into the tree."

She stuck a finger up as an emphasis to define a point. "Upon inspection, he has one bruise on the side of his head, yet no serious head trauma. We can conclude that Mr. Pines does not suffer from amnesia, so it is more likely that he was knocked out before he was able to fight."

"I see…" Pacifica gave a weary nod. The sheriff spotted heavy exhaustion in the girl's eyes. She placed a hand on her shoulder, "You should rest up and come back tomorrow. You need it, and we need you to be in a better condition."

Pacifica finally clenched her fist, but did not argue. "I guess that would be for the best."

One of the idle officers had taken up the responsibility of driving the headmistress home. Once the cop car was out of sight, the detective sighed out a wispy cloud of her own and placed her hands on her hips. Donna eyed her with an arched eyebrow, "What's the matter?"

"There was... one more thing that I wanted to show you both, but I guess she can see it tomorrow." The detective gestured for the sheriff to fall into step beside her. The sheriff urged, "What is it?"

The detective began, "We had found four trails of footprints leading into this area."

* * *

Across the town, a certain brunette was dealing on her own _just_ fine.

"Everyone reacts so _normally!_ As if this is _normal!_ " Mabel let out a curt laugh, "My brother is in jail for _murder!_ Who cares if it's only suspected? They put him in there, anyway."

The voice asked her, _Did he do it?_

"Of course I don't think he did it, but can't I react to something in this situation?" she rubbed her cheeks in circles. "I feel like I'm the only one acting sane right now, you get me?"

Mabel fully turned to the gnome she had stumbled upon and chosen to rant to. He replied sympathetically, "Shmebulock…"

"Yes!" she pointed at the little creature with fervor, "You _get_ it!"

A voice greeted her from behind. "Hey, Mabel!"

"SHH!" Mabel whirled around and stuck her index finger against her lips, eyes squeezed shut as if to wall off the newcomer. She turned back to the gnome and held a hand up behind her. "I am _talking_ to someone!"

"Shmebulock!"

"I know! So rude!"

"Uhh…?" Grenda turned to Candy for an explanation, where Candy only appeared just as puzzled. Candy shrugged, before turning to the brunette and trying again, "Hey, we were wondering—?"

"Oh, my gosh, can you just—!" Mabel turned around, fully ready to give a piece of her mind. With her two best friends standing there, she suddenly felt heat radiating off her cheeks. Her throat constricted and her tongue tied itself in knots. Ashamed, she gave a sheepish smile, "Candy! Grenda! What're you guys doing here?"

"We heard about the… situation your family is in, and we can only imagine what you're going through…" Candy told her with worry in her eyes. Grenda peeked behind the brunette, watching the gnome flee into the woods. The bespectacled girl raised her eyebrow, "And since you seem to… not have people to talk to, I think you should sleep over with us!"

Mabel blinked. "Tonight?"

"Tomorrow, actually. It's better since it's gonna be Friday."

"Oh," Mabel beamed, "yeah! Okay! Tomorrow night! We can all get wild and have fun!"

"That's the plan!" Grenda winked, "I got some new movies from the store, too. And I bought one that we _have_ to watch."

"You don't mean…" Mabel gasped, grinning mischievously, " _Wolfman Bare Chest_ the movie?"

"Oh, yeah…!" Grenda said as all three of them giggled girlishly. Mabel clapped her hands together and cheered, "I'll bring the juice!"

"I'll bring the make-up!" Candy announced. Mabel felt a fresh surge of jubilation wash over her. "This'll be great!"

Candy and Grenda waved. "See you tomorrow, Mabel!"

"You, too!"

Mabel waved back, waiting for them to be far enough, before spinning on her heel and venturing home through the woods. The sun was already beginning to set, producing looming shadows of the trees on the thick sheet of snow. To any other person, ambling in the forest while a murderer was on the loose was definitely a deathwish. Regardless, for some strange reason, she was perfectly content with passing by, as if there was nothing to worry about.

The deeper she went into the forest, the darker the sky grew. Since it was winter, the daylight always seemed to die out within moments. She memorized her way home, but with the utter darkness clouding her vision and shrouding her surroundings, she didn't seem to know where to go. Trekking through the snow had also made her feel like she was hauling her feet through a cleaner version of mud. An idea struck her, and she followed through hurriedly. Cupping her hands together, she closed her eyes, inviting a complete void of vision. Focusing on her powers, she guided a small amount of energy into her palms.

 _Safe._

When she reopened both her eyes and her hands, a tiny ball of light daintily floated in front of her, albeit it being slightly bigger than the first time. The little thing still illuminated what was around her, so she could see where she was going.

Creatures were taking warmth in their habitats, or hibernating, so there was no music of nature that she had grown so fond of. Growing up in a small city, the only music was honking cars and the bustling streets. Right now, the only thing she could hear was her steady breathing.

After series of towering trees, she found something new. Far in front of her, a large silhouette laid still. She inched closer, tilting her head slightly to see what it was. After taking a couple of moments to analyze the outline, she gasped.

It was the shack!

Mabel giggled to herself, chiding herself on how silly she had been to not realize. The wood creaked under footsteps as she hiked up the steps. Tapping her shoes on the porch, she pulled out the keys from her pocket and went inside. She relished the warmth that flowed out from the ventilation system.

A chime from her other pocket nearly made her burst out of her skin. Fumbling for her crystal communicator, she settled it in her hands and answered the call. She put it up to her ear—

" _Mabel?!"_ Ford yelled, in which the girl had to slightly pull the device away from her ear. She squeaked, "Yes, hello?"

" _Oh, thank goodness, you're alive."_ Ford's voice became muffled, _"She's alive, Stanley! Yes, I have her on call. Where is she? I don't know—"_

His voice became clear again. _"Mabel, where are you?"_

"I'm home."

" _She's home, Stanley."_ Ford put the device back to his ear. _"Mabel, you should've told us you were going home. You know how dangerous it is to walk home by yourself at this time? Or just at any time with what's been going on?!"_

"Mmm… yeah." Mabel shrunk against the door. "I know. It was a bad idea. But, hey, I'm safe!"

" _Yes, we're glad, but it's too dangerous, young lady!"_

"I think I can take care of myself." Mabel said without leaving room for argument. She grimaced, "You guys don't have to worry about me for now. Just focus on getting Dipper out. He needs your help."

He had not heard her.

" _Stan! Stan, that man is just reading! Stanley, reading movie-based books is not evil."_ Ford sighed, _"Sorry, dear, but please be safe. We'll be home later, love you."_

He had already hung up. She whispered, "Love you, too..."

Mabel pocketed her crystal, then made her way to her room. Waddles was snuggled deep under her covers, but jolted awake when the door opened. After tucking her scrapbook under her arm, she went back down the stairs, her other hand carrying a kit full of art supplies. Like the loyal companion he was, Waddles was in pursuit. She proceeded to work on her scrapbook in the living room. The television was on, playing a show she was barely paying any attention to. Her eyes were set on the faces of the photographs as she glued them onto the pages.

After finishing up with her artsy work, she cleaned the mess and closed her scrapbook. Mabel stood up and stretched, checking the clock. It was getting late, but it wasn't _too_ late.

She entered the kitchen and created a stash of Mabel juice. After storing it in a pitcher, she put it in the fridge to save for tomorrow. Her stomach growled, but she felt too lazy to eat an actual meal. Opening a cupboard, her hand blindly searched for something, yet came up with nothing. She went to the pantry and opened it, instantly spotting the muffins on the shelf. She scooped one from the others and finished it within minutes. Her eyes fell upon the clock, which read ten forty-three.

Turning off all the lights, she headed upstairs with her scrapbook and her kit, plus Waddles. She surveyed the room briskly, which only caused a prior memory to arise. Mabel puffed her cheeks, remembering how she accidentally lost a knitting needle while knitting Grunkle Stan an apology sweater. The finished product was hanging in the closet, but now she was missing an important utensil.

She rummaged through her drawers of tools and her boxes of items, but couldn't find the metal piece. Giving up, she went to her bed. Her jacket dropped to the floor along the way.

Sighing, she plopped onto her mattress and stared upwards. Her eyes traced the mass of gray wood until it stopped at the peak of the room. Despite the considerably recent construction of the shack, there was still a glistening web being strung along by a tiny spider. Disturbed by the pest, albeit only slightly, she lazily rolled on her side. Familiar faces of her favorite boy band stared back with unwavering eyes. Permanent smiles never left their faces, for their bodies were forever still in their pose. She couldn't help but shudder at the distinctness of each of the members' faces, in which they all seemed so… alike. It was like reading the same word over and over again until the word appeared as a combination of random letters.

So, she flipped onto her otherside, and promptly freaked out.

Only momentarily, though.

A pair of beady eyes above a curious snout decided to eye her intently, as well, from her bedside. Mabel felt just about peeved with all the accusing stares she's been receiving lately. As if _she_ had done something wrong.

Maybe she did. And that was acting under this weird sense of paranoia that was haunting her. She was basically acting like _Dipper!_

Although, was that right to think, when Dipper wasn't acting like… himself? He was so levelheaded, probably searching for a solution with that big brain of his. He had more of a reason _not_ to let emotions interfere after seeing _her_ little display. Had he grown up right under her nose? Her twitchy, awkward twin brother became a cool, mature boy, and she didn't even notice! When had that happened, exactly…?

A soft oink drew her attention.

"Stop _looking_ at me like that." Mabel pressed her palm against the pig's face. "I'm _fine_."

Waddles only snorted, and nibbled her hand for the lingering taste of the sweet muffin she had earlier. Mabel released a short giggle, before hoisting him up onto the bed with her. He acted as a large, warm, stuffed toy. Mabel hugged her beloved companion close, closing her eyes. Her thoughts floated around in her head, going from Dipper's arrest to Grunkle Stan's pain to missing Bill. Eventually, a dreamless slumber put them at rest.

* * *

 _The setting sun was a lot more beautiful from here. Nevertheless, he stood up and began again._

* * *

 **Until next time!**


	45. Chapter 45

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

" _Why couldn't it have been summer?"_

 _His grumbling blended into the wind. Accustomed to it, he only continued._

* * *

Mabel awoke with cold sweat, breathing heavily, while Waddles continued to nudge her damp cheek. She took a moment to calm herself, in which stroking her pig was helping greatly. Her feeling of dread was gradually overshadowed by her feeling of discomfort. The pajamas were sticking to her skin. Standing up from her bed, she combed back her mess of hair and absent-mindedly watched Waddles hop around in excitement. He wanted to be taken outside… but how long had she been asleep?

The clock read ten A.M., meaning she overslept again. She was usually an early riser…

Snatching a sweater from the closet, Mabel dragged herself to the front door and opened it wide for Waddles. He hurried out the door and in front of the shack, where he took care of his own business. She leaned against the doorway and let the cold glide along her exposed skin. It was refreshing, but still freezing. She shivered and sucked her arms into her sweater, letting the sleeves hang limp. She rubbed the drowsiness from her eyes and checked the living room, noting the utter silence. There was no buzz from the television, nor sizzling of food.

Her eyes went back to Waddles, who was busy finishing up. She sneezed twice and sniffled.

 _I didn't have a dream,_ she mulled over, _and I didn't have a nightmare. So why do I feel… sick?_

She hadn't dreamt in two nights, nor had her sleeps been very rejuvenating. She missed her glittery world and loyal minions. Where the sun never set and the celebration never stopped. Everything seemed right and perfect in her dream world, and not like dull, current reality. She missed messing with her great uncles and playing games with Dipper, even if she lost most of the time. If only this whole situation could just go away, already. She knew it would, eventually. Still, high in her list, she missed Bill.

Regardless, Mabel tensed up and frowned. She could take care of herself just fine. She didn't need to bother anyone because of some _feelings._ They had to focus on clearing the problem, and she already knew she couldn't do much to help. The most she could do was stand by. And sickness was common in the winter. After this, things would start looking up.

The sound of her pig oinking gained her full attention. He was burrowing around in the deep snow, disappearing shortly, until his snout was poking through in front of the steps. She giggled, "Waddles, stop making me so jelly. I wish I could swim around in there."

After a moment, she looked around for any adults, before grinning to herself. "Welp, there's no one around to stop me from making this mistake, so here I go!"

After making her terrible, terrible mistake, she climbed onto the porch and hugged herself tightly. Her attempt to retain any sort of warmth was quite unsuccessful. Although, now she was wide awake. Waddles hiked up the stairs next to her and shook himself dry of the snow. She whined, "Waddles, why didn't you stop me?"

He looked at her innocently. She changed her mind, "Yeah, you're right, it was totally worth it. I felt like a snow dolphin. It was awesome."

After picking herself up, the two went back inside the building. The warmth of the shack seeped into her as she trekked into the bathroom and patted herself dry with a towel. Feeling hungry, she made her way into the kitchen. She immediately spotted a small, yellow paper on the fridge. Plucking it from the door, she read it swiftly.

 _Training is on hold until the situation is cleared up! Be safe and eat!_

Mabel crumpled the sticky note up into a little ball, before tossing it into the garbage bin. She believed it was Grunkle Ford who wrote it, seeing the plate of breakfast on the table. It wasn't very warm, despite the heated ventilation throughout the shack, but a microwave would help with it. Her stomach grumbled as she stared at the numbers decreasing on the microwave.

A breeze grazed the back of her neck. Clutching it, she whirled around and found nothing but Waddles resting on the bed she knitted him. Her heart had picked up once again, so she willed it to steady itself. Her eyes gave another scan over her surroundings, before a loud beep made her shoulders snap up. Her food was ready to be taken out.

Quietly, she ate alone, yet her feelings did not agree with that fact.

* * *

"Yo, Soos!" Wendy popped into his vision suddenly. Soos was currently laying down underneath one of the drones, finishing up by screwing in the cover for the control panel. Out of surprise, his tool had dropped onto his forehead. He rubbed the throbbing spot tenderly. Still, he greeted, "What's up, dawg? And why are you here—"

"No time to explain! Dipper's in jail!"

Spit flew out of his mouth, whereas he was forced to punch his chest a couple of times. The news had hit him like a ton of bricks. "Dipper is what?!"

"Shh, you're gonna get us caught." Wendy checked their surroundings, then explained, "Didn't you see it last night? It was all over the news."

"I was, uh, a little busy." Soos said nervously as he thought back to his late-night activities. Grinding for so many levels, items, and experience… trying to defeat that one boss… that would _never die…_ He glared at nothing in particular. Wendy gave him a deadpan stare. "You were gaming all night, weren't you?"

"It's not my fault that when I'm in the zone, I am an impenetrable force!"

"It's even spreading around town by the Internet! And you know what they do to people on the Internet." Wendy stated with a grim tone while bringing out her phone. She scrolled through posts to find it, but then paused, only to snort. Soos rose an eyebrow, "What is it?"

"Saw this meme. It's pretty funny."

"Lemme see," Soos motioned. Wendy flipped her phone over to show him. He chuckled, "That's a good one."

"I know, right?" the redhead paused again, before shaking her head. "Shoot! Focus! We have to go save him!"

Soos jerked upwards, causing his head to slam into the drone. He fell back with a groan, to which Wendy facepalmed. He said groggily, "How much pain will I face within ten minutes? Whyyyy?"

"Don't blame you. Feels like everything is off, lately, to be honest." Wendy suspiciously looked around once more. Soos rolled his head to gaze at her. "What do you mean 'save him'? You want to break him out of jail?"

"He's not in jail, he's in a holding cell at the police department."

"Still, you want to free him?"

"Pfft, what? No. I mean, it sounds cool and all, but no. I mean… we _could_ …? No, no…" Wendy waved her hand around, before placing it on her chin, "Can we…?"

She looked at Soos, who was still dazed on the floor. She sighed with defeat, "Definitely not. I just want to save him from boredom. We visited him yesterday, and there was, like, nothing to do there. The place is a total snoozefest."

"But even out of jail, he doesn't do much. When he's not working, he's reading or practicing or playing chess with Mr. Pines. We'll save him from boredom now?" Soos pointed out, slightly puzzled. Wendy blew out air. "Uh, his leisure time and being imprisoned are totally different. Besides, we usually save him from being a total square, anyway. It's just that this time, it really counts."

"If you say so. I could've definitely helped you out with the first plan, though." Soos affirmed after recovering from his pain. Wendy replied adamantly, "Don't tempt me. Let's just head over to the police department before someone finds us."

"Yeah, let's go do that!" Soos agreed as he slid from underneath the machine. He pointed at the male teenager behind the redhead, "And he's coming along?"

Robbie didn't even bother looking up from his cellular device. Wendy shrugged, "Yeah, more or less."

"Alright, well, let's get going!" Soos cheered after brushing off his initial befuddlement. Wendy sneaked around corners, checking every which way for an administrator or the headmistress. Robbie only stood beside Soos, slightly smirking in amusement. The apprentice eyed her with bewilderment. She looked back at them, "What?"

"The headmistress is out on the crime scene, and the other administrators just aren't in this part of the school right now." Soos explained to her, albeit he still kept his voice low. Although she had a jacket over her top, she tugged at her visible schoolgirl skirt, "And what about when we're out there? Someone is bound to recognize the uniform."

"Oh, uhh…" Soos tapped his chin rapidly. Hearing approaching footsteps from the stairwell, Wendy shook her head and lead them into cover.

"We'll figure that out, but we can't stay here for long." She walked ahead of two males and beckoned them to follow her. "Come on, before we get spotted."

"Got it." Soos grabbed a hold of Robbie's hoodie, and hauled him forward before he could protest. Once they were outside, the male teen slapped the engineer's grip off of his clothing. They proceeded to enter the town, hoping to keep a low profile.

At first, Soos and Wendy were skeptical of who they would have to keep silent. The chances were high that they would be immediately noticed. However, as they crossed the town, they noticed the lack of citizens wandering the streets, like they usually did. Buildings had shut doors and blinded windows. If they were located in a desert, a tumbleweed would be passing by in front of them. Instead, Soos noticed a sphere of loosely connected ice, resembling a web, drifting across the snow. He noted, "That is awesome!"

"I didn't know that was even possible…" Wendy remarked. She surveyed the closed doors and blocked windows. "It's like we entered a ghost town."

"You're telling me!" Soos wiggled his fingers, "What if… we are ghosts, entering a different timeline where Gravity Falls is nothing? What if we entered a world that is the complete opposite of our own? With the same people but different personalit—?!"

"Can we just get to the police department already?!" Robbie shouted with his hands deep in his pockets, "I'm sick of feeling the shitty snow seep into my shoes. And it's so cold out here."

"Yes, we can." Wendy told him while they continued on their way. They were already nearing their destination, anyway. She added, "Also, Soos, that world sounds great and all, but I don't think that's possible."

"Anthyding can hadplen."

"How long are you gonna say that?" Wendy questioned. She opened the doors and they all went inside. To their displeasure, it wasn't any much warmer than the outside. "Especially when it came from the game that tried to kill us!"

"They're good words to live by. It's like reminding myself of the learning experience." Soos described in a wise demeanor. Walking up to the receptionist, he inquired, "Where can I find the holding cells?"

Within moments, they found themselves in front of Dipper's cell. The boy's face lit up like a kid in a candy store. "Wendy! Soos!"

He distinguished Robbie in the back. "And you…"

Robbie hissed briefly, before going back to ignoring the world around him. Wendy grinned, "Hey, doofus. We're back, and we brought this guy!"

Soos presented himself in a theatrical manner. Wendy and Dipper laughed at his antics. Steve waved, "Hello, there."

"Wassup, my dude." Soos pointed finger guns. "We're here to save Dipper."

"What?!" both the officer and Dipper exclaimed at the same time. Steve gripped the handle of his baton, leading to Wendy to intervene, "He means from boredom. Not from the cell, but from boredom."

"I… see?" Steve arched an eyebrow, but said nothing more. Wendy elbowed her chubby friend, hard. She whispered angrily, "You wanna get us in trouble? You break rules when the cops aren't around, not when they're right in front of you."

"Right, sorry, I'll try to be more stealthy next time." Soos winked. As much as she trusted her friend, she did not believe in that statement. Pulling out her phone, she decided to let Soos catch up with the imprisoned boy.

"Dude, how does it feel like to be in a cell?" Soos asked Dipper. He was sitting down at least ten feet away from the cell. Dipper was sitting against the wall of his cell, his arms underneath his knees. The boy shrugged, "Right now, it feels like being stuck in a refrigerator."

The officer piped up, "Yeah, sorry about that. The AC seems to be acting up a little."

"It's fine, I guess." Dipper tugged at his clothes. "I have a jacket."

"Alright, but what do you do for fun around here?" Soos inquired as he looked around. "There isn't anyone else that you could beat up… or get beaten by."

"I'm thankful for that, don't jinx it." Dipper chuckled, before he turned to the sink in the cell. "There's nothing else to do but stare at the wall and count the amount of water that drops from the sink."

"Told ya." Wendy commented, without looking up from the screen. Soos nodded with a hand on his chin. "How many have you counted so far?"

Dipper replied, "Seventy-six."

"Nice counting. You could be an accountant!" Soos nudged the air. "Then you'll actually be… _accountable_."

Dipper gave him an unimpressed look. Soos sighed, "Too soon?"

"Way too soon."

"Sorry, dude, my golden comedy isn't coming out correctly. I think it might be stuck somewhere in here." Soos pointed at his chest. He punched it a few times. "C'mon, jokes, don't fail me now!"

Dipper humored him. "Alright, Soos, don't abuse yourself. There's nothing wrong with being unfunny."

"That's my whole life purpose."

"Then I think you might have to find another life." Dipper said, "Preferably away from on the stage."

"Pfft, since when are you a critic?" Soos waved him off. The brunet feigned offense. "Haven't you ever checked my blog?"

"Wait, you have a blog?"

"No!" Dipper simpered. "No, I don't have a blog, Soos. Who even reads those, anymore?"

"Moms and older people?"

"Hey, social media are basically innovated blogs, and I got a few. So, don't call me a mom or an old lady." Wendy interjected from her side, pointing at Soos with playful accusation. She and her boyfriend were sitting on the floor, next to the officer. Both males turned to her at her sudden input. She shrugged, her phone now inside her pocket. "I'm just saying."

"She's got a point. Well, we have one more option." Soos said as he directed his focus to the direction Dipper was facing. "Has the wall done anything interesting yet?"

The boy darted his eyes between his friend and the wall, before voicing, "Eh, It can do better. You can stare at it with me."

The two silently stared at the wall, attentive to any change that might occur. Steve furrowed his eyebrows, before looking to the redhead for an answer. She only shrugged again, not taking any responsibility for their strange behavior. After a few long moments, Soos whispered, "Am I the only one expecting it to burst?"

"In fire?"

"No, in tears."

"Well, I'm half-expecting for it to change color. Or, maybe, open up to another dimension… but that's all I got."

Abruptly, Soos slapped his forehead. "Wait a second, what am I doing? I'm not even in a cell! I can't take one of your only pastimes. You have to think of weird things yourself."

"Trust me, I think I'd have a better time if I was doing these things with someone else."

"Hmm, I wish I could help you out." Soos rubbed his chin, before an idea lit up in his mind. He scooted a little closer to the cell, despite not being near the bars at all. He cupped his mouth with one hand to shield it away from the officer. "Do you want me to get you a spoon?"

Dipper appeared bewildered. "For what?"

"For what else?" Soos said as if it was obvious. "For your escape."

"You want me to _dig_ my way out?"

"Do you want the spoon or not, dude?"

Dipper regarded this statement visibly. Well, what was the worst that could happen if he asked? He'd go to jail?

"Metal or plastic?"

"I think I can manage to get out a plastic one."

Soos dug into his back pocket, before pulling out a plastic utensil. However, it was only a spork. Dipper looked unimpressed as he switched his gaze from the spork to his friend. Soos chuckled nervously, "Uhh, okay, this is all I got."

"Pretending that you disregarded your entire tool belt," Dipper snorted, "do I even have to ask why you have sporks?"

"Duh, in case I stumble upon stray lasagna."

"Should I be worried about him?" the officer turned to Wendy once again, who raised an eyebrow. She shook her head, "Nah, he's good."

"I feel like I'm watching some TV show, to be quite honest." Steve described as he motioned with his hands. Wendy laughed, "That's what makes these guys so great to hang around."

"You know, I get how Soos is here, but how did you guys get here?" Dipper cut in as he now paid attention to Wendy and Robbie, in which the latter was still busy on his phone.

"The others weren't so willing to skip out. But I was, and took this guy along with me, seeing that he wasn't too focused in class, anyway. He didn't make much of a fuss." Wendy clarified in a nonchalant tone.

"Well, I'm really glad you're here." He said, while looking at Wendy, who smiled back. Robbie groaned, "Whatever. If the headmistress finds out we're gone—and she will—we're so dead."

Dipper glared at him. "You don't sound very concerned."

"I'm shaking with fear." Robbie responded with pseudo trepidation, before pumping his fist after successfully passing the level on his game. Wendy nudged him and said sarcastically, "Pfft, he's a real _sweetheart_ , defying the rules to come with me."

"I'm sure." Dipper smiled, before rolling his eyes when she looked away. He inquired Steve, "Will you be ratting them out?"

"I'd love to say no, but if the headmistress starts cracking down on me, I might not be able to hold my own."

"Understandable." Wendy nodded. Steve sweated, "She might even get me fired… and I can't have that kind of impact on my schedule! I wake up early every morning just to get here first, then retire for the night right at midnight."

"You're quite the dedicated worker, aren't you?" Wendy asked. Steve shrugged, "I just like my job."

As the time passed, Soos had filled the somber air with lighthearted chitchat. Dipper would respond in a terse manner, only looking for Soos to maintain their spirits. He feared he may accidentally sink the mood if he were to steer the conversation. Occasionally, Wendy would join in, as did Steve, but for the most part, they were spectators.

Nonetheless, Dipper felt grateful for the arrival of his friends. It filled his heart with a feeling of warmth and triumph. He didn't feel so alone, and that would do well in his quest for freedom. Everything would be alright for him, as long as he had people that believed in him. Soos was very loyal, and quite empathetic, and so very full of things to talk about. Steve was surprisingly comforting to be around, which worked well, since he was his prison guard. And, of course, he'd always become happier whenever Wendy came along, despite her annoying boyfriend.

Speaking of which, after a while, Robbie piped up, "It's twelve thirty-two, and I'm getting hungry. Can we go now?"

"Yeah, food sounds good." Wendy stood up and stretched. Robbie yawned, before pocketing his phone. He immediately strolled towards the entrance of the corridor. Wendy placed her hands on her hips while eyeing his back, unsure whether to feel amused or slightly vexed. Soos also rose to his feet, pointing his thumb over his shoulder. "I should also get going, or Mr. McGucket might get worried."

Wendy waved. "See you later, Dipper."

"Bye, guys!"

Steve and Dipper watched as the three left the corridor. The officer smiled, "You got yourself some good friends."

"...I know." Dipper smiled, as well, "Thanks."

A soothing tranquility draped upon the building. Dipper stared up at the ceiling, wondering if his arrest was harshly affecting everyone. He had already seen his sister freaking out, and had not seen her since yesterday. He only hoped that she had calmed down. His great uncles visited earlier in the morning. They both seemed confident enough in their capabilities, believing that it would turn the situation in their favor. His friends had little to no trouble with the predicament, even if the most they could do was stick by him and keep him company. Pacifica was also doing her best to get him out, only briefly visiting him to update him. She intended to spend most of the day going over whatever information they had found, and could find.

His lips trembled, before it curled into a smile. He sighed quietly, muttering to himself, "Everything will be alright, huh?"

True to his thoughts, his great uncles and Pacifica were currently searching for more clues, in separate vicinities.

"And why are we in the forest again, Poindexter?" Stan asked as he saw nothing but snow and more snow.

Ford placed his hands on his hips. "Well, yesterday, we followed your lead. Now we're following mine."

Indeed, the whole day yesterday, they had been combing through each and every available citizen. Stan had no qualms with being frank, whilst Ford was a bit more behaved, but just as desperate. Unfortunately, their investigation hadn't exactly provided them with new information. Most were frightened, others gave them quick answers, and some were just plain annoying by moving on to other topics—marriage issues, chopping wood, bread, puppets, money, etc. In the end, all of them hadn't a clue to who the murderer could be.

Stan questioned, "And you wouldn't think that most, if not all, things that live here are sleeping or something?"

"We just gotta search around, and I know exactly where to look!" the scientist claimed with determination. With both his first and second journals in his coat, he marched forward without hesitation. Stan stared at his brother's back, before saying to himself, "We're totally gonna be attacked by an angry, sleepy monster."

Grumbling, Stan dragged his feet behind him.

In the meantime, Pacifica was quite fixated with her work with the police. She went to bed early and took a decent sleep last night, as Donna suggested, then woke up as early as possible and went straight to the scene. She had discovered much more once she arrived, thanks to the detective and the sheriff. With her own prior research, she was able to aid, as well.

The older Soul Fighter's weapon was a spear. Questions had arose instantly, speculating if the older Soul Fighter was the murderer. The wounds on the citizens did appear to have been inflicted by a slashing motion. However, after cleaning up the corpses, the older Soul Fighter's wound and the gashes on the others were too wide to be made by thin metal. To add to it, they still had the statement of the survivor. Dipper affirmed that the creature was hideous, and he was not one to misjudge shapes or exaggerate descriptions. With that, it could not have been human.

Then, there turned out to be four trails of footsteps leading into the crime scene. All of them were somewhat faint and hard to see due to the wind covering it up as time passed, but they were definitely there. Two were somewhat close together, coming in from the side, which were shown to be circling the town. Easily, they were inferred to be the jogging couple. However, the other two were also side by side, even closer together, in which following them only lead them to the town.

There were no reports from houses near the edge of town about any screams or commotion. After the first murder, citizens sought to stay indoors until the coast was clear.

Speaking of the first murder, it was a cold case. There were no fingerprints, trails, or anything that could have helped them figure out who did it. It was an even worst scenario, due to the fact that the evidence just seemed wiped cleaned because of the circumstances at that time—late at night and a blizzard. No grandchildren, no children, and no extended family. The only thing that linked the first murder to the second was the gashes. They were quite similar.

Regardless, there was no pattern, still. One happened in the darkest hour, and the other happened in broad daylight.

Hours had passed, and it was only when her stomach grumbled did she realize it was now the afternoon. Pacifica ignored her urges to eat, and continued to contribute to the conversation.

"How did Dipper survive?"

"Perhaps the snow hid him." The detective speculated. "Or the cops had just come in time before he was struck while he was down."

Donna relayed her thoughts to the two. "It's strange, because the citizens are not likely to just wander into the forest, knowing what creatures they may encounter. They always have a purpose, like the couple who jogged daily, or to go to the Mystery Shack. This was nearly on the opposite side of that shop. At least the couple had studied a little on their designated path, from what we had gathered. They avoided interactions with forest dwellers."

"And none of them were acquainted with each other…" the detective added. The sheriff proposed, "Do you think it's magic? Are they being lured in by a song or something?"

"No, because I have already had my staff research this entire forest. There's nothing like that near our town's border, especially if they were mermaids or something." Pacifica answered, "Plus, this late into the winter, it would be impossible. You'd have to search for them yourselves."

"Yet, it's still claimed to be a hideous creature." Donna reminded them, "It must have been drawn out to be used."

"By a human." The detective concluded. Which once again brought up the idea that it could be a person collaborating with a beast, helping bring the people into the forest, right where the creature waited. "And the human must be taking them into the forest."

"People don't follow people they don't know, unless… there's a difference in power or authority…" the sheriff plucked ideas out from her brain. "Threatened?"

The detective said, "Then they would have made a scene."

"Then what subtle way is there to get them to do what they want?"

"Manipulation."

"And if the creature is still alive, as well as the human, then where could have they escaped?" Donna questioned, "You can't say they teleported or something, right?"

"It… could be possible." Pacifica piped up, "Although, then this means we're discovering a new foe that we don't know anything about."

Suddenly, a new vehicle arrived into view. The three halted their discussion to see who was interrupting. It wasn't a police car, nor a news van. Stepping out of the vehicle, a woman greeted the officers by the perimeter. She said, "Excuse me, I am here to speak to the headmistress."

They exchanged looks, before one of them told her, "She's quite busy right now."

"I know, but she still has the responsibility of the academy on her hands, so she must know." The woman kept her chin high. Pacifica had already recognized the familiar woman, so she stepped away from the detective and the sheriff. Making her way to the police tape, she cocked her head at her colleague. The two officers assessed the situation, then chose to leave them so that they could talk. The woman bowed respectfully. "Miss, there has been a report of two missing students."

"What? Around this time?" Pacifica appeared surprised, before mumbling to herself, "This is not what I need right now…"

The woman continued, "Their names are Wendy Corduroy and Robbie Valentino—"

Pacifica's eyes widened, if only slightly.

"—and I can search for them in your place, seeing that you are currently occupied."

The blonde didn't respond. She only cupped her chin and stared off into the snow. The woman called politely, "Miss?"

"Leave them."

Her eyes bugged out. "What?!"

"I said to leave them. The circumstances are critical. And while I cannot believe they'd be foolish enough to wander alone, I do know they are somewhere… _safe._ " The tip of her tongue burned with disgust. She did not falter, "So, do not put yourself in danger, and _leave it._ "

The woman could not believe her ears. She attempted to argue, "But, miss, as much as I trust your judgement, I do not think you are making a wise decision—"

Her voice echoed in the abrupt silence. She was frozen in her place, watched by the idle officers, and even others that paused their investigation to observe the scene. However, the woman was more focused on the young girl in front of her. She hadn't felt petrified in a while, and here she was, on the receiving end of the headmistress' infamous scowl. Pacifica was having none of it, though. She only awaited for her order to be obeyed.

 _Is the personal strategist that important to her?_ the woman asked herself. A moment passed, until she bowed again, "Excuse my outburst."

Pacifica eyed her dubiously, before turning around. "Excused."

The car drove off not long after. The investigation resumed, yet with a new tense air. Donna and the detective warily participated in the discussion, hoping not to say anything to set her off. They seemed to be cycling through all the information they had, yet nothing mind-blowing had arose, no matter where their predictions led. The sun was already set, and the only thing lighting up the area was the light posts lanterns the police had set up. Pacifica was steadily getting irritated, a little bit exhausted from waking up early, skipping on any food, and racking her mind continuously for the past ten hours. Just for something… _anything..._

Suddenly, she froze. Donna was about to ask what was wrong, until the blonde snapped out of it. Pacifica turned to them. "Have you checked the trees?"

"The trees?" the detective had a puzzled look on her face. "What for?"

"Have you or not?" Pacifica sneered, not liking the extra questioning. The detective shook her head briefly, "No, no. Not that I know of."

The headmistress snapped her fingers and laid out her open palm. "Flashlight."

After one was put in her hand, Pacifica hastily darted over to the border of the crime scene. She flicked the flashlight on, then pointed the beam up into the branches above. She stepped out just a little bit beyond the perimeter, and checked out all the trees, searching for anything out of place. When she believed to have found something, she quickly looked over to the spot where they had found Dipper, confirming that the two locations of evidence most likely originated differently.

"What do you see?" Donna strolled up to Pacifica, followed by the detective. Pacifica guided their eyes towards the depths of the forest, and slightly upwards into the trees. She explained, "Soul Fighters tend to travel by trees because it's quicker and better to sight things."

The snow on the branches had been visibly shaken off. The pattern led straight from beyond where the light reached to where they stood. Donna couldn't believe her eyes, "I can't believe we missed that."

"I told Steve to check the trees…" Pacifica mumbled to herself once more. The detective exclaimed, "Incredible findings! Now, it only leaves the question, who had travelled by trees?"

"Dipper and the other Soul Fighter, of course." Pacifica crossed her arms. The detective pursed her lips. "That much weight should have shaken off more snow off the branches, so it must have only been one."

"Then it was Dipper."

Pacifica regarded the trees once more. Both the detective and the sheriff shared looks, before Donna relented, "Alright, I think that's enough for you today."

"...What are you saying?" Pacifica glared at her immediately. "You aren't my caretaker."

"No, it's just…"

"Just what?" she snarled. The detective bit her tongue, albeit not being the one talking. Donna clasped her hands together in front of her, "Please, this is the best for you and the investigation."

Pacifica forced her eyes closed and inhaled deeply. She was not about to cause a scene. She had to think this clearly. She was fatigued, starving, and peeved. She was yelling at her current partners as if she was a little, spoiled brat and not a leading investigator of a crime scene. If Dipper saw her now, he'd probably admonish her behavior.

"Thank you, and I'm sorry." Pacifica massaged her temples, feeling a headache coming forth. Donna smiled sympathetically, "No biggie. Let's get you home."

To her endless misfortune, her destination was not at all welcoming. Once Pacifica stepped inside, she wished she had snuck in through the window. Her parents had been waiting for her to come home, for a reason unbeknownst to her, not that she cared much. They were quite very unhappy, however. It was odd that she was already used to them being somber and quiet, despite this was how they normally acted before her thirteenth birthday. Nonetheless, Pacifica wanted to get whatever discourse over with, as she always did. She was not in the mood for her parents' regression.

"You're spending all your time with this investigation! That is not your job!" Preston yelled. Pacifica felt her head throb at the sudden volume. And the topic was something she was not anticipating. Even so, she argued, "What…? Why do you care?! And it's not like that's all I do!"

He made a noise of disbelief. "What else have you done?"

She glowered. "I spoke to the families yesterday, giving them my condolences."

"It wasn't easy, was it?" Preston curled his lip, "You shouldn't be the one doing that."

"But I did. Since when is delivering bad news ever _easy?_ " Pacifica hissed, "It was suffocating and horrible. But you wouldn't understand."

Preston scoffed, in which Priscilla sighed and placed her hand on her chest. "Honestly, you're gonna be a factory of wrinkles by the time you're twenty."

Pacifica rolled her eyes, before looking to the side. "It was partly my fault, anyway…"

"Look what this boy has done to you! You're doubting yourself! Get a grip!" Preston proclaimed heatedly, "Why didn't he give you a better idea for defending the town if yours was going to be faulty?"

Pacifica scrunched her nose. "Maybe we both didn't know!"

"Then he's not fit for the job! He's supposed to be smarter than you!" Preston pinched the bridge of his nose. "That boy is in jail!"

"He isn't _that boy,_ he's Dipper Pines, and he saved your life!" she shouted at him, "He's my friend!"

A frustrated sound escapes her lips, where she clutched her head and breathed out. He saved their _lives,_ for goodness' sakes, and they still belittled him. They were just plain awful, like the rest of their family's ancestors. They never cared for anyone but themselves.

"With a family like this, I don't know how we had _ever_ founded this town." Pacifica brushed past her father and stomped her way up the stairs. She marched into her room, then slammed the door close.

* * *

The doorbell rang. Candy and Grenda jumped up excitedly.

Ripping the door wide open, both girls were extremely pleased to see Mabel on the porch. A dufflebag hung over her shoulder as she held a pitcher of Mabel juice in her hand. Although, their feelings quickly morphed into shock at her expression.

"Whoa, you look like a zombie. Halloween has already passed." Candy pointed out, noting the bags under her eyes. Grenda asked eagerly, "Can you do me, next?!"

"It's not makeup, girls." Mabel rubbed her face, tired. "I'm just…"

She trailed off. Candy snapped her fingers in front of her face several times, before the brunette jerked awake. She held her arms up in defense, ready to attack. Even the sudden movement caused the juice to spill a little, dripping down the sleeves of the girl's sweater. Her two friends only exchanged looks, before turning back to the brunette.

"Well, come on in!" Grenda dragged her inside, "The party needs to get started!"

There was music blasting in the bedroom. Candy and Grenda were spraying silly string all over, uncaring of how much they'd have to clean up afterwards. However, as much as Mabel tried to have fun, her dance moves were just not funky enough. She was sniffling often, worrying herself over Dipper, and feeling all in all _not good._

Candy and Grenda observed as the brunette danced lethargically to the upbeat music. The larger of the two said in a quiet voice, "Look at her. It's so sad to watch."

"We need to rev up her silliness engines." Candy palmed her fist. "This calls for plan L.O.L."

Grenda gasped, "You don't mean…?"

"Laugh or lose your life." Candy spoke in a gruff voice as she stared at the sad brunette. Grenda thought about it for a second, using her finger to point at nothing. "Wait, isn't that L.O.L.Y.L?"

Candy ignored her. "If we can't make her laugh, we _die._ "

Grenda choked on her spit. "We do?!"

"...No." Candy had yet to stop glaring. "But this is still very serious."

"I got it!" Grenda snapped her fingers and whispered into Candy's ear. They nodded to each other.

Seconds later, Grenda had brought three fancy, plastic cups that mimicked wine glasses. She poured a great amount of Mabel juice in each one, before walking over to where her friends were currently sitting. Candy clapped, "Yay, time to drink up!"

"Already?" Mabel perked up slightly, seeing the cup held in front of her face. Taking it from Grenda, they gave a quick toast, before chugging down the sugary beverage. All of them slammed it down on the floor with delighted sighs. Mabel hummed, "That hit the spot."

"Let's have some more!" Grenda asserted, raising the pitcher high.

Not long after the pitcher was completely empty, the three had abandoned their cups for… _other_ things. They watched the full movie that was promised, laughing hysterically and crying profusely. They threw makeup on their faces and swallowed gallops of whipped cream. They made a fort of pillows and blankets, where there only source of light was a flashlight.

"Haha, check this out. It's gonna come out from my eyes!" Mabel stuck the flashlight in her throat, but quickly choked on it. She coughed and hacked, dropping the device onto the floor. Candy picked it up, only to shine it in their eyes. They ran away from the destructive bespectacled girl.

Then they tried on each other's clothes, in which Mabel had worn the school uniform for the first time. She pointed at the gray ribbon in her hair, "Look, I'm a sophomore! Hehehe!"

"Well, I'm a cool senior!" Grenda declared, wearing a gold ribbon on her neck. Candy rose up to the spotlight dramatically, "Well, I am… the _headmistress!_ "

Both Mabel and Grenda gasped at the beauty that was Candy's outfit, in which she only sported the school outfit with a heavy trench coat on top. Grenda punched her wall, " _GORGEOUS!_ "

"But that's not all! I have…" Candy extended her fingers beside her face, "forks taped onto my fingers!"

"She's a genius!" Mabel grabbed Grenda and shook her. "A genius!"

Candy rushed over to them, causing her to trip over on her coat. Colliding into her friends, they laid onto the floor, giggling at themselves. Grenda rolled onto her stomach and let her legs swing up and down. "Let's talk about _boys._ "

"Okay!" Candy also rolled onto her stomach, although she now looked like a burrito made of cloth. The trench coat was wrapped around her petite form. Mabel didn't bother rolling. "Sure!"

"You think you'll marry rich?" Candy asked Grenda. The larger girl flipped her hair, "I don't know, do I look the part?"

"Grenda, you are a beautiful creature." Mabel said as she patted her friend's shoulder. Candy giggled and squished her cheeks, "I don't know, I think a lot of boys in our school are cute. But Dipper is also pretty nice."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Mabel held her hands out, her eyes attentively on her friends. They both waited for her to say something else. The brunette continued with, "...whoa. Are you actually interested in him?"

Candy shrugged. "A little. But I'm not the only one, and I'm definitely not the one with the strongest feelings. I've heard other girls in my classes, and they've said some stuff."

Her eyebrows went up and down suggestively. Mabel gritted her teeth and squeezed her fists. "Aah! My best friend likes my brother! But I'm sorry, Candy, I've already shipped him onto a boat with someone else!"

"Really?" Grenda's eyes widened. Candy furrowed her eyebrows, "Who?"

Mabel grinned mischievously. "Paaaa…"

"...cifica?" Candy finished for her. When Mabel nodded, they gasped. Candy said seriously, "Then forget everything I've said, and let's make sure they never leave that boat."

"Right?!" Mabel flipped onto her stomach and pounded the floor. "They're just so cute together!"

"I know! Sometimes I see them looking at each other from across the school and it's so romantic!" Candy told her. Mabel squealed at that newfound information.

"You know, why are we talking about your brother's love life?" Grenda pointed at the brunette, "What about _yours?_ "

"Huh? What about mine?" Mabel sunk a little into her sweater to hide her growing blush.

"Spill the beans, girl!" Grenda demanded, "Are you and Bill dating?"

She giggled lightly, "Uh, no…?"

Candy inquired, "Are you two a _thing?_ "

"I don't really know…" Mabel was flushed, yet her smile had fallen some.

Grenda kept going, "Does he actually like you?"

Mabel puffed her cheeks. "Why are you asking me?!"

"You should know! You were the one that confessed!"

"How do you know about that?!"

"Aha! You just told us!"

"What?!" Mabel's cheeks burned. "But—"

"When were you going to tell us this, young lady?!" Candy pointed her fork-covered finger at her. Mabel waved her hands around frantically. "I was going to, I swear! But then the whole mess came up, and I couldn't find the time—"

"Mabel, it's fine." Grenda placed her hands on her shoulders. "I just have one more question: did you use tongue yet?"

"Shut up with that already!" Mabel whacked her friend with a pillow. Candy called out, "Pillow fight!"

They knocked out after an intense battle of clothed cases of feathers. Sleeping soundly against one another, they didn't mind the hard floor or the cold weather, so as long as they had the pillows and blankets.

* * *

 _Mabel land was… slightly less animated than it usually was. She looked around and combed through her hair, anxious, yet still smiling. A waffle guard approached her, "Is there something the matter?"_

" _Yeah, did this place get less sparkly, or did you gain weight?" she pointed at the guard, her other hand on her hip. The waffle guard's expression darkened, "I am the ultimate being of sugar and flour."_

" _Right, right…"_

" _Yo, Mabel!" Xyler called, with Craz in pursuit. They lifted her up into the air, "We haven't seen you in a while!"_

" _Yeah, I know, I missed you guys, too!" she tried to hug them where she was, but she could only awkwardly pat their arms. "Could you put me down so I can properly greet you?"_

" _Anything for you, Mabel." When her feet hit the ground, she opened her arms and hugged both of their legs. She released them and surveyed the area. "Seriously, do you guys know what's up with this place? It's pretty dim than how it usually is."_

" _There's still a party going down in the Sugar Pitcher."_

" _There's always a party going down in that place!" Mabel giggled, before reconsidering with a serious look, "I think I need to help those guys out with their issues."_

 _Craz piped in, "Yeah, Captain Jellybean is just not the same without General Teddy."_

" _You said it!" Mabel agreed. Xyler added, "Right on! Even though the party is still pumping, only he seems pretty down. I guess he knows what's up when it comes to his happy place."_

" _That's wicked true." Craz nodded. Mabel hesitated, before crossing her arms and looked over to the roaming dream beings and busy streets. "Totally…"_

 _Without warning, the waffle guard reported, "There is someone on the beach."_

" _Must be important!" Mabel jumped to the cue. "I'll see you guys later!"_

" _Bye, Mabel!" they two radical young men said simultaneously, waving goodbye. To anyone else, it would have appeared extremely creepy. But Mabel only found it charming. As she sauntered down the streets and into the beach, she realized that all of her loyal minions were acting pretty much the same… whatever the same was. They didn't exactly have a policy of normality hanging around. Basically, they didn't notice anything unusual._

 _She made it to the beach, where a familiar figure greeted her._

" _No way…" Mabel felt a smile stretch across her face, "No way, no way! Bill!"_

 _The travelling prince was washed up on the shore, unmoving. She kneeled beside him and stared for a moment, her eyes roaming over his handsome face. He appeared… peaceful._

" _YELLOW!" he shot up, in which she nearly jolted awake from his sudden movement. Mabel placed a hand on her racing heart, "Why do you scare me sometimes when you wake up?"_

" _I think a better question is why do you stare at me when I sleep?" Bill rubbed his eye and yawned, before looking around. After a passing moment of realization, he said, "I'm in your dream."_

" _Yup! And I'm so glad, too! I haven't seen you in two whole days!" Mabel embraced him tightly, producing a sound of contentment. The last time she had seen him was in that weird dream with the mountain. "Hugs!"_

 _He didn't have the energy to push her off, only staring absent-mindedly at her back. She peeled off of him and scrutinized his expression._

" _Why do you seem so tired?" Mabel asked, cocking her head to the side. She brought her hand to his face, and used her thumb to caress the darkened skin underneath his eye. "Have you been sleeping well?"_

" _You know, Shooting Star, before the whole… 'getting everything back' thing," Bill replied lazily, not bothering to remove her hand, "I didn't exactly need energy. I didn't need to eat, and I didn't need to sleep. I did either one only if I wanted to."_

" _Uh huh…" Mabel pulled her hand back._

" _So, what I'm saying is..." he said casually, "is that I totally forget to eat or sleep… most of the time."_

 _Her eyes did not break away from his lone one. "You've been working nonstop for the whole three days you've been away…?"_

" _Uh…" Bill was just the slightest bit unsettled by her worried stare, albeit he was not sure why. In a cautious tone, he answered, "yes?"_

 _Her eyes abruptly narrowed, sharp and unhappy. "Bill! You can't just ignore those things!"_

" _It's not like I have much time, anyway." He held his hands up in defense. "Besides, I'm still above just the average human. I can handle a little more heat or a little more cold, a little bit of walking here and there, teleporting across seas and countries, constantly, without a break…"_

 _As he trailed off, she only grew more vexed. "You're human with magical properties, not a cyborg."_

" _I can handle myself, Shooting Star." He spat, "Stop worrying."_

" _Bill…" Mabel set her hands on her hips. "You have to take better care of yourself."_

 _He dismissed her without a second thought, "Maybe later."_

" _What?!"_

" _ **What?"**_ _Bill hissed heatedly, sending any nearby dream creatures away. Mabel flinched slightly, yet he proceeded, "I'm a bit_ _ **busy**_ _tending to all these aristocrats and leaders, and the rest of these buffoons want to know every single thing about me."_

 _He threw his hands up. "And I can't kill them! I want to just—"_

 _He strangled the air with both hands. "But I can't!"_

 _The blond gestured angrily, "Sometimes, they mix up facts, even if I've said them a thousand times! And I've had to settle about three rivalries that were supposed to be eternal, now. I'm using up more energy than I had used in a long time."_

 _Mabel sat back quietly as he continued to vent out. She had never seen him so utterly frustrated and… exhausted._

" _They keep piling more and more questions and issues onto me, and I'm_ _ **this**_ _close to burning down the next village I step into. But I can't do anything bad to these stupid creatures, or that'll set everything back. I can't wait until they have to be the ones tending to_ _ **me.**_ _" He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. Mabel hesitated on reaching out to him, waiting for him to finish his rant._

 _Bill rubbed his face. "Fuck, I don't remember being so tired. It's so annoying. I just want to kill something… or something."_

 _Mabel frowned, before summoning a penguin in front of him. She awkwardly gestured at it, "You can take a shot at him. I don't think he'll mind."_

 _He looked at the animal, then glanced back at her. She was struggling to keep her mouth shut, and forced her hands into her lap. Raising an eyebrow, he lit his hand aflame, ready to harm the penguin. Abruptly, she grabbed his wrist. Since it was only a dream, his fire was not damaging to her skin._

" _Okay, nevermind! He might not mind, but I do mind! Like, a lot." Mabel sighed and shooed away the penguin. She looked at her grip, before gazing up at the blond. She said softly, "I… I worry because I care about you, and I think you forgot what that feels like."_

 _He gazed at her for a second, before looking away. "Caring is great and all, but it doesn't make me any less tired."_

 _Mabel tensed up, slightly irked. "You know, you don't have to be, like, violent, but you should stand strong with what you have to do and against what they want you to do."_

 _He pulled away from her clutches and sighed. "I still have to get them to trust me, it makes my job easier."_

" _You could fix all their problems, and they'd still see you as the enemy. I just think you need to put yourself out there more, instead of just your services." Mabel fiddled with a lock of her hair, staring out into the dream view. She hummed as she pondered about her words, while tapping her chin. Then, she giggled and looked up at him, "Am I making any sense?"_

 _His astounded expression caught her off guard. She blinked, before smiling sheepishly, "Well, anyway, I bet you still feel pretty awful. Is there another way you could feel better?"_

 _Bill stayed silent, intently eyeing her face. He was somewhat leaned forward, causing her cheeks to heat up, "Umm…"_

 _The glint in his eye was something she was unfamiliar with, and it made her skin tingle all over. She blushed profusely and pouted, "W-What?"_

 _Unexpectedly, his lips formed a lopsided grin, before a chuckle escaped his mouth. He laughed and pushed her away, in which she was utterly confused. The gears began turning in her head, and then Mabel scrunched up her nose, "You jerk! You—You teased me!"_

 _Bill snorted, "Well, someone has to pay the price."_

" _You're lucky I'm nice!"_

" _Yeah, so lucky, whoo." Bill wiggled his hands, mocking the gesture of joy. Mabel huffed, before grinning to herself. "You know what? At least I got a smile out of you. I was sure you were about to explode."_

" _Congratulations, here's a cookie." He summoned one in his hand, then waved it in front of her face. She shook her head, "Dream food always makes me wake up sort of sad because I never actually eat any food."_

 _Bill snorted again as the cookie disappeared, causing her to fold her arms. "Now, I think you're just exploiting me."_

" _Probably the best decision I've made in a while…" he muttered. She froze, then regained herself._

" _You know, if you're so busy," Mabel quickly changed the topic to prevent her face from literally bursting into flames, "how did you get here?"_

" _I've been trying to sense you for a while. Then you finally got a dream." Bill explained, completely ignorant to her near combustion, "I excused myself so I could find a place to hide my physical body to see you."_

 _A steady blush painted her cheeks as she swooned. "Aww."_

" _Aww?" Bill could only repeat questioningly._

" _What? I think it's sweet you've been trying to see me."_

 _Bill did not know what more of these "sweet" things were to girls, nor that trying to seek someone out was considered admirable. Of course, he knew how to charm people with words and other things, based on what they want to hear. When it came to Mabel, he usually did what he felt like doing, even if that meant he had no idea what he was doing at all. Was this part of this dating ritual she was talking about?_

 _He chose to smile an uncertain smile with eyebrows drawn together. She only laughed at his confused expression, and her heart warmed slightly._

" _You know, I'm surprised you never tried to get together with another girl in all your years."_

" _It's crossed my mind." Bill admitted, "Never seemed worthwhile, though, so I only pushed it aside. I was focused on one thing."_

" _So, you're clueless?"_

" _Didn't say that."_

" _No need to hide it, Bill; it's okay. That just makes you extra cute!"_

" _Stop associating these words with me!"_

 _Mabel nudged him with her elbow. "Just let me lead for now, alright? So you can get the hang of it."_

 _Bill cocked an eyebrow. "And what does that make us, exactly?"_

" _You want me to decide?" she was not prepared for that reply. He only shrugged, "Well, you're the one who initiated it."_

" _Oh, umm…" Mabel tapped her chin. Dating? A couple? Friends with benefits (despite the lack thereof)? They both didn't even know his own feelings, yet._

" _I know!" she grinned, "I'll be courting you!"_

" _Isn't it usually the other way around?"_

 _She waved him off. "Nevermind that!"_

" _Doesn't that mean you intend to marry me?"_

" _Oh…" Mabel flushed, "I mean—I just thought that the word sounded nice—"_

 _He raised an eyebrow and smirked. She buried her face in her hands. "You know what? Erase that."_

" _So then what?"_

" _A thing." Mabel was still red as she indicated between the two of them. "We have a… a thing going on."_

" _And that's it?"_

" _That's it."_

" _That's pretty surprising, coming from you."_

" _You made it difficult."_

 _He gazed at her for a second longer, before stifling a laugh. She smacked his arm, although it barely caused any actual pain. "You're right, though. I haven't been dreaming lately. I guess it's just bad luck?"_

" _Bad luck? Did you break a mirror or something?"_

" _Nope."_

" _Spill salt?"_

" _Nuh-uh."_

" _Walk under a ladder? See a black cat? Open an umbrella indoors?"_

" _None of those things!" Mabel shook her head, "Just unlucky. But, hey, now that we're here, we can…"_

 _She trailed off and thought about what she was about to say. There were things that she wanted to tell him, but she couldn't let them spill from her mouth. Something was stopping her. She was fine, anyway, so she didn't seek any drastic response. Mabel gazed thoughtfully at his face again, before perking up and correcting herself, "I can ask you a few questions!"_

 _Bill arched an eyebrow. He talked about throwing facts around constantly during his travels, and now she wants to know things, too? Although, it was bound to be different than the others' questions. "Like?"_

" _Do you remember your real birthday?"_

" _...No." Bill shrugged, "But I don't really care. You already gave me another one, anyway."_

 _She fingered through the sand subconsciously and thought of another question. "Can you read my mind here?"_

" _Being in your mind is different from being on the outside and reading it." Bill motioned with his hands, "With me inside, I have to actually search for the stuff you think about, unlike just reading the thoughts that pop up to the surface."_

 _That was good for her. She continued, "Can you still see people's souls?"_

" _No, I can only sense for minds," Bill said, before firing back his own, "and why so many questions about me?"_

" _No particular reason." Mabel shrugged, "Maybe I just want to get to know you better while shooting out questions focusing on you, and not me, because there's nothing that interesting going on with me."_

 _Bill gave her a deadpan stare. She sweated, "Okay, interesting things have happened, definitely, but we—we're fine now."_

" _I don't get why you're gonna lie if you suck at doing it."_

" _I—" Mabel looked shock, before breathing in, "right…"_

 _She cleared her throat. "Well, you see, Dipper went into this magical mountain three days ago, but he came out fine in just an hour."_

" _So that's who went in… Should've guessed."_

" _What do you mean?"_

" _I was going to ask you in your last dream, but then you woke up."_

" _You didn't ask me right away, though, in this dream."_

" _When you concern yourself with too many things at one time, you tend to forget about other things." Bill shrugged. He looked at her with contemplation. "Just in an hour, huh...?"_

" _Also," she added, "I've been feeling pretty sick, lately. I think it's just a cold, though."_

 _Bill studied her further, which made her almost shy away. Finally, he said, "I can try to make time to pop in."_

 _Mabel happily responded, "No."_

" _No?"_

" _No."_

" _...No?"_

" _No!" Mabel planted, "If you don't have enough time to worry about yourself, then don't worry about me."_

 _He had so much on his shoulders, throwing more to the pile was bound to throw him off._

" _It's fine!" Mabel waved her hands frantically, "Please, if you want to help me in any way, then I want you to start taking better care of yourself."_

 _He looked away. "No promises."_

" _At least a little?"_

" _We'll see." Bill rolled his eye. Mabel suggested bashfully, "Why don't we rest right now?"_

 _He paused, then a grimace marred his face. "Right now? Shooting Star…"_

" _You can leave when I fall asleep!" she stared out into the fabricated ocean. "As much as I miss Mabel land, I'm feeling pretty beat."_

 _When she turned back to him, he was already snoozing on the warm shore. She took in the image with mild astonishment. Then, she giggled, before laying down next to him. As she stared up, taking in the colorful, rainbow-filled sky, she felt her heart constrict painfully. Her minions were dancing the night away. The music was still on its infinite loop. While she dozed off, she forced her mind to stay active in Mabel land, in order to prevent suspicion._

 _She did not tell Bill everything, and he only left as soon as she was out._

* * *

It was the eve of Christmas. Dipper opened his eyes to a pungent smell, and found his surroundings unnaturally quiet. He stood up and stretched, before his eyes landed on a sight before him, just beyond the bars.

Steadily, he inched closer to the bars and tilted his head. His eyes scanned over the bloody corpse, where dull, lifeless eyes stared at nothing.

He backed up all the way until he was pressing against the wall. Sliding to the floor, he stayed there for a while until another voice resounded in the silent corridor. More shouts and screams were soon filling the air. He heard nothing but his own beating heart.

* * *

" _Knock, knock."_

 _He paused._

" _Who's there?"_

 _He answered._

" _Me!"_

 _He laughed, sadly._

* * *

 **Until next time!**


	46. Chapter 46

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

 _Day and night flied by him, waving in a friendly manner, albeit appearing mockingly._

 _He took no notice._

* * *

"I'm Shandra Jimenez, reporting live at the Gravity Falls Police Department." The woman showcased the building with one hand, the other holding a microphone up to her lips, "This morning, yet another murder has taken place. However, this one had occurred right here, at this building. And it appears to be one of the police department's very own: Steve—"

As if a punchline was just delivered, Stan spit out his cereal. His twin brother was too shocked to even care that it was all over the carpet. No, Ford only stood up and shouted, "WHAT?!"

Snatching the keys from its place, Ford rushed to the car. Stan was busy forcing his feet into his shoes, but seeing his brother already charging towards the vehicle, he left it as it was while following after him. The car drove off, a giant pile of snow left behind in its' wake.

In the meantime, Shandra was now interviewing a multitude of people, but she now had the one person that really mattered in the case. Stifling a look of success, she began the next interview with an introduction, "Here is Dipper Pines, who is visibly shaken up after seeing the dead body. Dipper Pines was recently arrested as a suspect, but it is now clear he is far from the cold-blooded killer. The corpse was found right in front of his cell, where he was forced to do nothing but wait for assistance."

She gave a sympathetic nod to Dipper, who nodded back his gratitude. Moving forward, Shandra inquired, "Could you give us any insight on what you're currently feeling?"

Dipper had his arms crossed against his chest, a somber look on his face. He spoke slowly and softly, "I've just… never seen such gruesome death before, right in front of me. It was horrifying."

"By our research, you've actually come from the decimated city of Piedmont in California." She glanced at the camera, before returning her gaze to him, "Does that experience not affect what you had just seen?"

He blinked in surprise at their knowledge, before shaking his head. "That was different. I only focused on getting out alive and nothing else. Here, I was trapped."

Although she opened her mouth to ask him more, the weary look on his face and his sluggish body language caused her to cease the interview. "Thank you for cooperating with us. I'm sure it must have been hard to talk about."

"I managed, and thanks." Dipper shrugged a little, nodding to the camera as both the reporter and the cameraman switched back to the crime scene. He gazed upon the building, rubbing his arms for warmth. The place was swarmed with officers, and there was yellow police tape strung around to keep the reporter from entering the building. No one really paid much attention to him, but if they did look his way, it was with varying degrees of pity. Occasionally, his ears would catch murmurs of his circumstances. It was like they didn't believe in any part of his physical or mental strength against the murderer and the case in general. The corner of his lips twitched.

"Dipper!" a familiar voice called. Dipper spun around to see Wendy, along with Soos, sprinting towards him. Her red tresses fluttered behind her, and worry was written across her face. She skidded to a stop, her boots digging into the snow. Kneeling to his height, she clutched him by the shoulders, "Are you okay?!"

"What?! Yes! Yes." Dipper backed away slightly, a little bit of a blush blooming on his cheeks. "I'm fine. What are you guys doing here?"

"We came as soon as the report went live." Soos embraced him tightly, "Dawg, everything is gonna be fine!"

"Ah! Can't breathe!" Dipper patted him repeatedly. "Soos!"

"Okay, Soos, let him go! If the murderer isn't gonna get him, you are." Wendy ordered as she tugged the chubby man off of the boy. She sighed and shook her head, "Geez, man, you need a break."

Dipper frowned. "If only. I'm pretty tired of all this. Someone's gotta catch the murderer."

"Is it awful if I say I'm a little unsurprised it's taking awhile?" Wendy said at a low enough volume so that only they could hear.

"A little bit, yeah, but not too much." Dipper shrugged, whereas Soos asked her, "Why do you say that?"

"Murder of people doesn't exactly happen around here, remember? The police can barely capture a couple of rebellious teens, and more often than not, Mr. Pines. You think they can get their hands on a serial killer within forty-eight hours?"

"They're trying their best." Soos defended, but Wendy only frowned, "Let's hope that that's enough."

Suddenly, a worn out vehicle drove into view, parking right at the perimeter. The doors flew open, revealing the two inside. Stanley and Stanford slipped out of the car and went straight for their grandnephew, who was busy conversing with his friends.

"Dipper!" Ford called. Dipper turned around and saw his two great uncles bolting towards him. Grinning, he stretched his arms out and embraced the collision, attempting to hug as much as he could. They pulled back, and the boy emitted joyful vibes. "I'm so glad you're here. I'm glad all of you are here."

He glanced down, then inquired, "Uh, why are you not wearing any shoes, Grunkle Ford?"

All looked down to his feet, in which the scientist was forced to put up a brave face, now that he realized the freezing ground was pure torture. "Ah, yes, I am not."

"And Grunkle Stan, your shoes are on the wrong feet."

"Listen, kid, there are more important things at hand." Stan told him as his twin was suffering in the background.

"We should get you away from this place, honestly." Wendy claimed as she placed her hands on her hips. "You need some quality rest and relaxation. We'll eat out at Greasy's Diner."

"You can go ahead, Dipper," Ford said, not wanting his grandnephew to stay in the same proximity where he could have almost died—for the second time—any longer. He was now sitting on the ground with his knees to his chest, his feet hovering above the biting cold, "Stan and I have to stay back, anyway. We'll see you at home later."

"Got it..." Dipper replied, a bit incredulous at their disorderly states. Wendy and Soos were already leaving, but Dipper had his gaze fixated on the doors. Just in the inside was the dead body of a man he didn't know long, but did know well.

 _I wonder if they'll be able to figure it out…_ Dipper thought, wringing his hands. Shouldn't he stay longer, despite already giving everything he already knew about this current incident?

The doors of the police department opened as people walked in and out of the building. revealing those inside. Dipper was half surprised to see Pacifica, who seemed preoccupied with her participation. He hadn't noticed her appearing at the scene, but he had expected her to arrive as soon as she heard about it. When she caught his eyes, he smiled softly, to which she blinked and swiftly averted her eyes. Unbeknownst to anyone but herself, she fought a tiny blush from dusting her cheeks. His attention went back to the redhead and the engineer, where Wendy was waving at him from afar, "C'mon, doofus!"

Dipper smiled, before running towards them. "Coming!"

When the doors finally shut, Pacifica found herself staring at them. Pain was veiled behind glossed eyes, but she quickly shook off her disgruntlement. Stan and Ford entered the building and joined the circle of authorities.

"The footage is destroyed." The detective began to inform them, grabbing all of their attention, "The whole control room is trashed, the panel is destroyed, and even the cameras are broken beyond repair! There's no telling who did it and how they did it. There are no fingerprints anywhere, no traces of hair, skin, blood, or anything! It's as if a ghost took physical form and wreaked havoc on our world! Searching for vengeance after someone dug up some… ancient artifact or broke a doll… or something."

As the detective was approaching the end of her disclosure, the faces of her listeners were slowly becoming more twisted with confusion. Donna asked afterwards, "Have you been watching horror movies…?"

The detective pursed her lips. "They're just really good, okay?"

Ford piped up, reigning in everyone's attention, "'Ghost' is a bit of a stretch, since the only way they can interact with us is through possession. Depending on their category, they can control a certain medium to their will. However, you said there was no way to tell how they destroyed everything, especially with the amount of damage they did, so it wouldn't be a ghost."

The detective questioned, "You mean I'd have to have seen a floating rock or chair or something?"

"Basically."

"And how many categories are there, exactly?" Donna inquired. Ford answered, "Ten, with ten being the highest and most dangerous. But I've researched all the category tens in this town, and none of them would have been able to do this."

Pacifica raised an eyebrow, her mouth moving before she could think, "And what's the chance of a category eleven?"

All eyes were on her. Stan scoffed, "Category eleven? What is that gonna do? Start a ghost party?"

"Well, I don't know, I'm just thinking." Pacifica frowned. Ford responded anyway, "Nothing I've ever seen or heard of before. Regardless, all ghosts are attached to something in the physical world, and will not leave or stop until they are satisfied or eliminated. If this were such a powerful 'ghost,' he would voice his demands."

"I… see," Pacifica said. The detective resumed, "The police department closes from midnight to five o'clock in the morning. Everyone had retired for the night. The only ones who can unlock the doors are police officers."

"The only one in the department during closed hours is Dipper. You don't think he snuck out somehow and caused the destruction?" one officer suggested. The great uncles looked offended at the thought. Stanley waved his fist angrily, "Hey, my grandnephew might be a fighter, but he isn't fighting security cameras!"

"Aren't you both his great uncles?" somebody else remarked, "Isn't this conflict of interest?"

"We took the matter into our own hands. I think we're more than capable." Ford said as he crossed his arms. The officer pointed out, "Your feet are really red."

"I stepped in some red powder," he lied.

"Sir, would you like some shoes? We have some in the back."

"Yes, I would."

Ford and Stan left the main lobby, following after a pair of officers. The conversation had started back up, beginning with a different officer responding to the initial question. Although, he only shook his head, "You really think that kid would do something like this?"

"I don't want to, but we have to open ourselves up to every option, right?" the officer defended, "People are really getting scared. We have to figure this out fast."

"At least think about something that isn't so far-fetched."

"His sword can cut through steel, can't it?" yet another officer interjected, albeit meekly. Someone else replied, "But the bars on the cell are in perfect condition."

"Even if they weren't, you're trying to say he's willing to cut through people's flesh? Did you see his face earlier? He was horrified and disgusted."

"That's… true."

"He's probably not used to so much death. Even we aren't, but it's different. We're older."

"That boy is just caught in the middle of all of this. I pity him."

"Yeah, poor thing."

"But if all of these things are destroyed, how did he not hear it?" yet another had brought into the air, causing others to mix in their responses.

"Deep sleep, most likely."

"Or he didn't bother mentioning it."

"What about Steve? He gets here really early every day. What if he was possessed by a ghost that was waiting for someone?"

"On again with the ghost thing? Then explain how Steve died."

"Steve didn't even use a soul weapon, right?"

"Nope, not that we know of."

Donna clapped her hands loudly, ceasing the discussion. In the background, Stan and Ford had returned to the main lobby in time. The detective nodded her thanks, before saying, "He claimed to have woken up due to a horrible smell, then found the body where it was. This can be backed up by the fact nothing of his cell was tinkered with, and we discovered him inside, petrified."

"The murderer didn't even try to attack Dipper?"

"The corpse was still fresh when we got here. Perhaps the murderer didn't have time before more people came in." The detective explained. When she paused, there were no statements to follow from her peers.

"What if…" Donna input suddenly, "the murderer was disguised as a police officer?"

Immediately, the volume of the room increased. Pacifica could only appear shocked while the Stan twins exchanged wary glances. The sheriff instantly felt mistaken for having said that so abruptly. The detective said beside her, "It makes some sense, seeing the murderer has impeccable timing and knowledge of when to strike. And it also applies to the 'luring by authority' theory… but are you implying it was one of us? Maybe in this very room?"

"I don't know. They could have stolen a uniform or made their own." Donna speedily replied, but the detective's lip only curled. "We'll have to check inventory and survey the officers."

"Another thing, how could Dipper have smelled something rotting when corpses start smelling only after a few hours?" the detective brought up, causing the sheriff to hesitate. She continued, "You don't think he was lying, do you?"

"That shouldn't be the case… It may have been the smell of the murderer. It might release a vile odor?"

Donna clapped her hands once more, effectively silencing the room. "Alright, alright, as soon as the discussion is over, we'll begin inspection throughout the staff."

"This time, it'll be about the aim of the criminal." The detective held up her fingers as emphasis, "Three murder scenes in four days. All three happened at completely different times."

She paced around as she described, "Haven't you noticed? These last two have been committed around Dipper. Do you think the murderer is toying with him, intentionally keeping him alive near murders?"

"Then explain the first one murder." Pacifica prompted, "He was nowhere near the old couple or the forest."

"Do we have any actual claims or evidence on that?" the detective countered. The blonde was taken aback, "Well, no, not that we could gather."

"If he left, we would have noticed!" Ford advocated, yet the detective countered with, "You're two quite very old men. The error percentage is high."

She gave a pointed look towards Stanley, "And your reputation doesn't exactly help."

"How _dare_ you." He responded with an over-the-top voice, "I am a full-fledged citizen of this town, and I demand you treat me as such."

"Not until you give me back my watch, you scumbag!" she snapped, shaking her fist at him. He shouted back, "It wasn't even worth half a crate of pugs! Get over it!"

"That was from my grandmother!"

"She didn't love you, then!"

"Okay! That's enough!" Donna yelled, reining them back in. They were both filled with indignation, but pushed it aside and proceeded on with the discussion. The sheriff resumed, "Despite the first murder being a total cold case, we have much more information of the chain of murders now than then. The main wounds are slashes, it's likely they're being lured out by manipulation, and they leave no type of evidence behind."

"We'd like to add." Ford announced, drawing eyes to the pair. "My brother and I took the liberty of combing through both the town and the forest."

"So, what did you find?" the detective asked with an eyebrow cocked.

"Stan chose to search through the people, and found no one suspicious or out of place. Most, if not all, were genuine, and held accountable alibis." Ford explained, "I decided to scour through the forests, and the creatures were generally fine. However, they did mention spotting a weird creature passing by, yet none dared to go near it. This may be it."

"This is good progress." The detective nodded, then turned to the sheriff, "What do you suggest we do?"

"Now that we have a suspect, we raise our defenses and keep a tight security on everyone. Having a high morale is important, as well, to make sure that we can keep the citizens in check. I'll continue to make sure the mayor is well-informed with the status quo."

Pacifica couldn't help but silently snicker, along with others she had seen trying to keep a straight face. The fact that the mayor was still alive and kicking amazed her, but she knew any comment on that would arise suspicion if anything were to happen to him within the time period. She shook her head of silly (and somewhat dark) thoughts as the crowd began to disperse. She had a crime scene to focus on.

* * *

For some reason, Fiddleford was at the academy, even though it was the weekend. Nonetheless, Soos went to go search for him in the building. When he arrived at the academy, he was too busy biting his lip out of excitement to be shivering from the cold. He'd been wanting to ask his mentor something, and there was no use beating around the bush anymore. Once he found the older man in his office, Soos knocked on the wall to gather his attention. Fiddleford peeked at him over his shoulder, but resumed with whatever he was doing.

"I'm listening."

"So, I just wanted to ask what you're gonna be doing tomorrow, Mr. McGucket?"

"I… wanted to go check on something. A little piece of the past I had forgotten about until now." Fiddleford shrugged while he dug around his desk, "So, don't count on me being around too much. Why do you ask?"

"It's Christmas tomorrow!" Soos rubbed his wrist, yet kept his voice steady, "And I was hoping you could spend it with me tomorrow."

"Ah, sorry, can't. This'll be important." Fiddleford waved him off, only half-listening to the offer. Soos faltered for a moment, but persisted, "You won't even join us for a Christmas feast? My grandma makes some awesome food."

Soos grinned as the older man turned around at the invitation. Yet, the expression on his mentor's face was unchanging. His face fell, "Or… don't, if you really can't make it. But the door is always open."

Fiddleford blinked, registering the situation at hand and the look on his apprentice's face. He smiled apologetically, the curve itself woven with sadness. "I'll keep that in mind, okay?"

* * *

It was already quite late in the day, and Pacifica wanted nothing more than to lay down and curse the murderer and the whole case until it no longer existed. As she was walking down the street, a figure under the lamp post caught her eye. She quickly recognized him and picked up her pace slightly, while he waited for her to be close enough. Once she was in front of him, Pacifica remarked with an eyebrow raised, "Well, that's a little creepy."

"Hello to you, too."

She crossed her arms. "How long have you been here, standing alone in the dark?"

"Not long." Dipper pushed himself off of the wall, his hands in his pockets. "But it wouldn't matter, anyway. I'd wait longer."

A small blush dusted her cheeks, but she only scrunched up her nose. "Why?"

He smiled, motioning with his elbow, "I wanna treat you."

"For what?" she asked dubiously, albeit her pounding heart. He rolled his eyes. "Can't you ask questions once we get there? I haven't eaten anything since this morning. And I'm pretty sure you have it worst than me."

Her stomach growled before she could argue. Dipper chuckled, and she only hissed, "Okay, fine, let's go."

"Excited as ever, Princess."

"Shut up, Pines."

The white specks of snow drifted to the ground. They could feel the snowflakes tickle their skin, melting against their touch. On the way to the diner, they were side by side, rather enjoying the vacancy of the streets. The rhythm of their footsteps resounded in the silent vicinity. There was no judgmental gazes or nosey stares, just the two of them in peace. She found herself savoring the moment, especially after all that had happened as of late. He could only agreed to her unspoken fondness.

It ended too soon, or so it seemed. The diner was now right there in front of them. He held open the door for her and made a motion with his hand, "After you, Princess."

"I guess chivalry isn't dead, after all." She teased, before entering the warm building. After briefly sweeping her eyes along the inside surroundings, she took a seat at an empty table. There were only a few other patrons, most of them minding their own business. He joined her at the table and sat across from her. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then released it with a content look on his face. She half-heartedly blocked him out with her hands, "Don't breathe on me."

"Sorry, I just felt like that was the first time I could actually _breathe,_ you know?" he gestured towards her, "You should try it."

She gave him a questioning look. He persisted, "C'mon, it lifts the spirit."

"That sounds ridiculous." She snorted, but he only frowned, "Guess this evening is gonna be pretty heavy, then."

"As if the weather doesn't do that," Pacifica rolled her eyes, "and not to mention the serial killer on the loose."

"Well, you're in luck, Princess. I'm here to make everything better!" he chuckled, outstretching his hands beside him. She scoffed and averted her gaze elsewhere. He only tapped the table, "C'mon, just try it."

She glanced at him, observing the hopeful look on his face. Not wanting to be the one to ruin the mood, Pacifica sighed and shook her head, before complying with his suggestion. Immediately, she did feel refreshed, and when she opened her eyes, she soaked in the image of him sitting right in front of her, out of the cell, alive. A smile flitted across her face, unnoticed by her, but in full view for him. He smiled back, glad to be the one responsible for it.

Upon seeing his expression, she immediately recollected herself. Pacifica snatched the menu on the table and lifted it slightly, if only to hide the bottom half of her face. She glared over the menu, "What are you smiling about?"

"Are you always gonna be so catty? Honestly, it's like a condition." Dipper commented as he held the menu up and skimmed through the contents. "But don't worry, I'm sure lots of guys like cats… I think."

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It means I might be one of the only people who can bare to hang around you."

"Oh, is that so…." Pacifica said, teeth grinding. Dipper took one more second, before bursting out in laughter. He booped her nose in an instant, before laying back and smiling. "Don't be so uptight. This is supposed to be fun."

She lowered the menu, "I'm starting to question your definition of fun."

"What's the problem, Pacifica? Can't handle a little friendly teasing?"

She rolled her eyes, ignoring the pain in her heart, and shot him back a smirk. Those remarks weren't what she'd exactly call "friendly-teasing," but who is she to judge? Not like she's had much friends before, nor experience in general when it came to bonding with other people, especially of the opposite gender. Besides, before this, they've done their fair share of snarky exchanges. So, why did this hurt more? Was it because of her, or was it because of him?

"Fine, let's switch topics." Dipper initiated, noticing her growing discomfort. He prompted, "Anything interesting happen while I was stuck?"

"...Other than you being locked up and a murderer on the loose?" Pacifica rose an eyebrow. "Not remotely."

"Figures." He began to smile again, "Well, I had a little bit of an interesting turn during my time out."

"The fact you're calling being arrested _'time out'_ is so weird." Pacifica couldn't help but giggle into her hand, although it was curt. He beamed, "Yeah, it wasn't _so_ bad, I guess."

"What happened?" Pacifica asked, perking up slightly. He shrugged, "Well, in a really messed up way, I'm just a tiny bit grateful."

"For being put in a cell?"

"Yeah…"

"Why?"

However, their conversation was abruptly cut off. The waitress had instantly grabbed both of their attentions.

"Hey, kids, I'll be taking your orders now!" Lazy Susan said as she walked up to their table. The two exchanged stares, before turning downwards at the menu. After they told her their choices, she wrote it all down and gave them a sunny grin. But before leaving, she hummed and tapped her pen against the notepad. A sly tone slid from her tongue, "Also, may I say you look lovely together."

"Ha, what?!" Pacifica scoffed, crossing her arms. Dipper joined her, pointing with his thumb, "Me and her? As if I'd ever."

"That's what they all say! Right before they're swept up and shipped across the sea!" she wagged her pen at them, before leaving to the kitchen. Pacifica furrowed her eyebrows at that phrase, before rolling her eyes. She turned back to her meal companion, "What a ridiculous woman—"

"That brings me to what I was about to say, though!" Dipper interrupted, "I've been hanging out with Wendy a lot more these past couple of days. And I think I'm really starting to get her attention."

He waited for a reply, but received none. Dipper beckoned questioningly, "Pacifica?"

The blonde's face was blank, before her lips curled upwards. "Um, what? One, she has a boyfriend. Two, she's still too old for you. And three, there's a killer on the loose. Is this really the time?"

"Right now, talking about it? Sure. Also, her boyfriend doesn't seem that great, and it's only a three year difference. Once I'm eighteen, she'll just be, like, twenty-one. Doesn't seem so bad then."

She huffed, "You don't know their relationship. It might be strong and stable."

"It's not like I _want_ to cause her any distress, but if she falls for me, I can't help it."

"That's awfully cocky of you."

"Can't feel good about myself?"

"And if she doesn't fall for you?"

"Well, I don't know." Dipper scratched his cheek abashedly. "I just want her to notice me… sort of."

Under the table, she gripped one hand and traced little circles with her thumb. Casually, she asked, "What do you like about her, anyway?"

"Wendy?" he held his chin in his hand, "Hmm, I'm not really sure. But I do know that she's always been pretty supportive of me, and she's a great friend in general. She's super cool, too, and I find her really easy to talk to. She's funny, and strong, and pretty—"

"Alright, let's stop there." Pacifica suddenly said, to which he drew back in surprise. She added quickly, "I-I don't want to stumble into some weird territory about her... _looks_ with you."

"Huh?" he tilted his head to the side, before his mouth formed an 'O' shape. "Oh, _oh,_ I get you."

Pacifica felt her cheeks heat up at the mere implication. "Yeah, so…"

"I mean, it's nothing to be embarrassed about, really." He said blithely, "I'm sure you'll be on par when you get older."

"Oh, just shut up." She tossed a fork his way, where he caught it with ease. With a simper, he remarked, "Aren't you the cutest thing when you're flustered?"

"Ugh, you're unbelievable. Why even mention this to me?" She slumped in her seat and grimaced. He rose and eyebrow, "Here's a friendship lesson: it's called talking to a friend about your feelings and receiving support."

She frowned, "And if I don't give any?"

He gave her a look. She felt something tug her heart, before she straightened up in her seat, "Right. Whatever. Do whatever you want."

"How thoughtful." He placed his elbow on the table and held up his cheek. "Tell me, Princess, do you know anything about love?"

"Love?" she nearly choked on her own spit. Red threatened to bloom on her face. Not trusting herself, she stuck to one-word answers. "Why?"

"I don't know. After talking to you, I thought I could get some advice, but now that I think about it, it doesn't seem likely."

"Tch, what are you—"

"Are you…" his gaze, curious, bore into her own, "...jealous?"

Their table grew quiet, and with it, she drowned out all other stray noise. All she could see was Dipper's deep brown eyes trained onto her. Her mind drew blank after blank, unable to find a proper response. He seemed indifferent to her reaction.

"Here's your food!" Lazy Susan cheerfully announced at their table. Ignorant to the tense atmosphere, she lowered the dishes in front of them with a bright grin. "Hot and ready, just for you!"

"Thanks." Dipper waved while the waitress ambled away. He inhaled the delicious aroma and felt his mouth water. "Ah, real food!"

His attention shifted to the frozen blonde, who didn't even seem to notice the food in front of her. He snorted and waved his hand in front of her face. "Hellooo? Earth to Pacifica?"

One second passed, then another. He shrugged, before leaning back.

" _Idiot!_ "

"Ow!"

Before he could react, there was a horrible throbbing in his foot. He pulled it up to his lap and massaged it tenderly, tears stinging his eyes. Dipper scowled at her, "What the heck?!"

"Don't 'what the heck?!' me! I should be saying that! What's wrong with you?!"

"What's wrong with you?! You just assaulted me for no reason!"

"No reason?!"

"Don't be so dramatic!"

Her hand slammed into the table, shaking the plates. She loomed over him from her seat, a dark aura seemingly shadowing her, " _I'll show you dramatic—_ "

"I'm sorry!"

With her fist in the air, she halted in her path to wrath. She could only ask, "What?"

"I'm… sorry." He smiled up at her, albeit nervously. "I just wanted to get you to loosen up."

"You…" Pacifica narrowed her eyes, yet backed down, "You have an awful way of going about it."

"Do you feel any less tense, though?"

"Mmm, yeah," she reluctantly admitted, "a little."

"Well then, I've done my job!" Dipper smiled at her, before digging into his meal. She held a piece on her fork, but looked from it to her friend. He was… a little off-putting, but it did have some sort of charm to it, and he had good intentions behind it. Regardless, she inexplicably worried over his previous words, juggling between true and false in her mind.

* * *

It was around nine when Mabel had finally come back to the shack. She was quite exhausted from partying two days straight, plus ignoring her sickness. Regardless, she had enough energy to drag herself home. When she walked inside, she wasn't surprised to find the shack utterly empty. Although, it wasn't completely silent. After warmly greeting her enthusiastic pig, she peeked inside the living room. The dried cereal and milk on the floor quickly grabbed her attention. Her eyes trailed from the mess to the television, where the screen showed a lady and a man talking about the recent events. She only shrugged and continued on her way up the stairs.

After emptying her bag and putting her stuff aside, headed towards the kitchen. She washed the pitcher, absent-mindedly moving on to wash the other dishes that were in the sink.

 _Bad luck? The only time I've dreamt lately was when I was in Grenda's house,_ Mabel mulled over, _Maybe I should try to find some ways to dream._

With her thoughts on dreams, she remembered one of the things that she talked to Bill about. Mabel brought her ingredients out and mixed them together, producing a delicious blend of chocolate and milk. She poured herself a glass, before storing the rest in the pitcher. She'd have to make a bottle for Bill to carry it, later. Briefly, she wondered if he had eaten or drank anything yet. What was his first real meal after 120 years? How did it feel to do human functions after so long? Sleeping, eating, using the bathroom...?

Mabel giggled, the thought of him being uncomfortable over such simple tasks was both adorable and funny. Her face suddenly fell as her sigh mixed into the forlorn atmosphere. Those feelings of longing for him and her family were coming back. They seemed so out of reach. She finished the glass in one swig.

 _Face it._

"I can't do anything about it…" she mumbled to herself. The walls of the shack seemed to stretch far away. The television became a white noise.

 _Fix it._

"I can't."

 _Say something—_

"NO!"

The chair screeched across the floorboards, before toppling over. Waddles jolted upwards and bolted to his distressed owner. Mabel blinked, before looking around with a frown. The solitude was really starting to annoy her, especially when the only company she had was a dumb voice. She crouched down and petted her pig, muttering apologies.

After searching up how to dream, she proceeded with a list of scribbles in her hand. Unfortunately, they didn't really work.

Playing sounds was her first step. She snuggled herself in bed next to her pig, letting the cries of whales and the motion of the ocean lure her into her dreamworld. Yet, she only fell asleep for a few minutes, until she woke up startled and panicked. She felt like the whale, calling constantly in the great, blue depths.

Moving on, she tried warming up a mug of milk. Downing it all in a single take, she slammed it down onto the table, then waited for it to take effect. The result was immediate, with her face colliding onto the table. Although, it only lasted for a moment, due to the impact sending the pain straight from her forehead to her brain. She snapped her eyes open with a distressed expression. Her pig didn't mind, as he licked up some of the spilled milk.

She tried different sleeping positions, which only led her bed to become a mess. Her pillows were placed oddly, and her sheets were all over the floor. She was apathetic to it, however. Her eyebrows were drawn together, forming wrinkles on her face. Her legs were up against the wall while her back was on the mattress, with her eyes staring upwards at the ceiling. She rolled off with a loud thump and harrumph.

It wasn't until she found herself sitting on the dinner table again that she realized that nothing was going to work. Vexed, she blew out air, which caused the fire on the candle to disappear. The lingering scent of roses wafted through the air, and while pleasant, it was proven to be useless in her case. She groaned and pressed her forehead against the wood. She was tired, sure, but there was something warding off her sleepiness. It appeared at first as a speck in the back of her mind, before it blew up in her face.

 _Look out._

She looked up, finding nothing but the television still playing. Mabel sniffed, before staggering over and plopping down onto the couch, cross-legged. She took the remote in her hand and paused the show, whatever it was. She knew that her great uncles liked to watch and rewatch old shows, so she didn't bother changing the channel, in case they wanted to rewind. However, she noticed that it was not entertainment on the screen. It was the news channel. They didn't watch the news, unless it was something worthwhile.

What happened?

 _Watch._

Pressing a button, the images began to rewind, and she saw just how far back she could watch. From her prior trials, she had turned the lights off in the living room. The lights were on in the hallway and in the kitchen, but her face was illuminated by the brightness of the television. She only rubbed her itchy eyes on occasion.

After a long minute or so, she finally saw something interesting. It was all the way from early this morning. Her brother on the screen, speaking into a microphone being held up to his mouth. She pressed play, and watched intently.

" _I've just… never seen such gruesome death before, right in front of me. It was horrifying."_

She paused the television, and sat in the silence.

"...What?"

She played it back.

" _I've just… never seen such gruesome death before, right in front of me. It was horrifying."_

 _That's a…_

Mabel's grip on the remote tightened.

... _a lie_.

Their parents had brutally died, right before their very eyes. Dipper was so hung up about it, and so was she, yet she was a lot less vocal about it. She grieved and grieved, and then forced herself to move forward, no matter how scarring. Of course, they would never take their parents out of their hearts. Nevertheless, he had it on his mind, constantly. It made him paranoid and gave him nightmares, yet he never chose to try and forget. He had decided to overcome that experience in order to get stronger. He accepted that it happened and sought to prove his growth _._

He wouldn't just pretend it never happened.

" _By our research, you've actually come from the decimated city of Piedmont in California. Does that experience not affect what you had just seen?"_

" _That was different. I only focused on getting out alive and nothing else. Here, I was trapped."_

Her shoulders shook.

 _That's a_ _ **lie.**_

He's built himself on what he's been exposed to. He knows death in the face, and wouldn't stand aside to just let it keep going. He doesn't know what being "trapped" is. He's seen raging fire and collapsing buildings, has heard the screams of the innocent and seen gruesome sights. If he was so easily deterred by those things, then he would never be where he was now! He would have never grown!

 _Why was he lying?_

There was a crash of glass, a piggish squeal, and then silence. The image on the television turned black, no longer shining upon her face. Mabel realized her hand was now stretched out, and the remote was no longer in her hand, but on the carpet in front of the television. She pulled her hand back and stared at the broken device.

"Why did I do that?" Caressing her hand, she frowned, "Stupid voice in my head… Now we'll have to buy another TV."

Grunkle Stan wasn't going to buy it, so it was going to be coming out of Grunkle Ford's pocket. An apology sweater dedicated to him would be nice.

She went upstairs to her room and pulled out of knitting kit. Throwing the balls of yarn behind her, she grabbed two knitting needles, before shoving the box back into the closet.

The balls of yarn plopped onto the bed, where one rolled off to bounce momentarily on the floor.

"Ah, geez…" Mabel puffed her cheeks and went after it, "Why do these keep dropping?"

On her knees, she placed the two knitting needles in her hand onto the mattress. Without fail, she picked up the ball of yarn and tossed it onto her mattress. However, a glint under her bed caught her eye, causing her to pause. She leaned over a bit more, before a delighted gasp escaped her. Reaching a hand under the bed, she said, "My knitting needle! What're you doing under here—?"

Her hand grasped onto something that was not cold, thin metal. It was unfamiliar. Her visage lost its excitement while she retracted her hand from under the bed. Gazing at the item in her hand, a fountain of questions erupted in her mind. One topped them all and fled through her mouth.

"A dreamcatcher?"

She flipped it over on its front and back. It was a pretty, typical thing, with a web of string and feathers hanging at the bottom. However, there was something eerie and potent about the vibrant colors of the feathers, and the gold coloring of the string. In a way, it seemed enchanted.

"Enchanted?" she mused. "Who would enchant something like this?"

Footsteps were approaching the room. She swiftly hid the dreamcatcher in her sweater, as if on instinct. She knew she wouldn't be having dreams tonight, and now she knew why she hadn't been having dreams lately in the shack. However, she still had one, enormous question left in her head.

Dipper opened the door, not surprised to see his sister there. His face brightened, "Mabel! I'm back home!"

"Yep, I see that. I heard about what happened." She asked with concern, "Are you… okay?"

He offered a reassuring smile, "I'm fine, you don't have to worry about it."

She grinned back at him, yet feeling uneasy with the dreamcatcher loosely placed in her sweater. She didn't move forward to hug him. He brushed off her stiffness and yawned, obeying the call of his bed. She halted him with her hand, "Hold on!"

He gave her a curious look. Mabel chuckled nervously, pulling her hair forward and brushing it with her fingers. Her mind replayed the interview from the morning. She wanted to know why he said what he said. And then there was the dreamcatcher right there in her clothing… She wanted to ask if he could take a look at it, and see if he knew what it was.

But she couldn't say anything, with fear stifling her every move.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "What's up?"

She forced the words out of her mouth. "I… actually… wanted to ask you—"

At her abrupt silence, he asked, "What is it?"

"What the—What happened to the television?!" Stan cried from the living room. Mabel gestured, "H-Hold on for a second."

After explaining the destruction behind the television, albeit they didn't exactly understand with her messy reasoning, they let her go with light scolding. As she predicted, Ford would go and buy a new one later, so she told him to sit tight for an upcoming gift. She bolted back upstairs before he could respond.

"So, anyways, I need to talk to you… about…" she trailed off.

Her brother was fast asleep on his bed, much to her dismay. She called for him quietly, "Dipper… _Diiippeeer_! Bro-bro! Dippingsauce!"

She stalked closer to him and whispered, "Mason…?"

He didn't respond, nor even flinch. She only saw the movement of his body under the blanket as he breathed in and out. Mabel begrudgingly accepted defeat against the almighty pull of slumber. She slipped under her own sheets and gripped onto her blanket. As seconds turned into minutes, and minutes turned into hours, she kept staring up at her posters. Sleep could not consume her, and it wasn't because Christmas was tomorrow.

* * *

 _His focus was unbreakable. His mind was astute._

 _He would not yield._

* * *

 **Until next time!**


	47. Chapter 47

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

 _He looked once…_

 _...and found himself lost..._

* * *

There was a hum drifting in the dry air; a tune, slightly off-key. It was starting to annoy her. Pyronica growled and whipped at the air, the pink flames flashing along the corridor. Her scream echoed, "Quiet! Whoever is making that racket, I'll—"

"What?" Adrian manifested behind her. She gasped and twirled on her feet. "M-My lord!"

He didn't offer a greeting. "What will you do?"

She stared and stared, and then spoke, "It was you."

It sounded more like a question than a statement, so he answered, "Yes, so it was."

"...Why?"

He walked ahead of her, and she followed, as always. "It's Christmas, my dear."

She was unconvinced. "You haven't sang before."

"Who's to say?" he smiled wistfully. They stopped in front of a large window, one that was spiked around the edges with broken, sharp glass. She narrowed her eye, gleaming with interest, "Are you up to something?"

He didn't respond, and much to her buried displeasure, he started humming again. Pyronica left him standing by the opening, where once upon a time, there was a crystal clear window. Beyond that window, there was limitless amounts of wonders. Adrian looked ahead, and only saw the blackened grounds from his overwhelming success.

* * *

Well, it wasn't common for Pacifica to have this feeling.

Especially first thing in the morning...

...or ever, really.

But there was a sensation in the air, like delightful vibes and nonexistent sunshine. It boldly proclaimed that the day was going to be _good._ Maybe even _great,_ if she was to be optimistic. It was very weird.

Pacifica leaned towards her reflection, seeing the image of herself in her own eyes. She checked her face, each cheek and each eye. She massaged her throat and shook her arms, but alas, there was nothing painful or alarming about her body. She felt perfectly fine. A more odd type of fine, like the sky was just a little brighter than usual, or maybe the world was tilted a little bit closer to the sun. Surely, she'd be drowning in her own sweat if that were the case, or tumbling across her floor.

She stood on one foot and tested it, yet nothing threw her off balance. Pulling back the curtains, the sky was still a dull shade of gray. There wasn't a single speck of glorious, clear blue. Her gaze turned to the eerie, shadowy forest, and her mind began to wake up a little bit more. Suddenly, she remembered all the harrowing incidents that happened this week. It was unlike her to wake up and forget something so serious for no reason. She held her hand over her heart and glared at nothing in particular. Maybe it was the thinly cut grass or the naked trees, maybe they were the reason for her inexplicable joy.

Pacifica's palms hit the glass of the window, cold to the touch. She breathed out slowly, "I am so… _happy._ "

Her breath stained the glass, but not for long. She curled her fingers. "How obnoxious."

The blonde trotted over and peeked into the mirror again, patting her cheeks once more. They were glowing, a hue of red that existed not of embarrassment or anger. Pacifica felt her insides fluttering with something unfamiliar. Her heart strained against the confinement of her chest. She slammed her hands down on the vanity and puffed her cheeks.

 _This feeling…_ she shrunk into herself, before popping upwards. A little, giddy sound came from her lips, _What am I feeling?_

People have been murdered left and right. What good had come for her to be like this?

 _Christmas?_

She almost laughed. Christmas was not special to her like it was to most people. It was supposedly the ultimate day of spending time with family and loved ones and giving and receiving gifts. Well, for the most part, she would rather avoid her parents, like they do with her, and gifts were nothing interesting.

 _Dipper?_

Is it because he was finally released? She facepalmed, feeling quite shallow. How desperate was she for such dim glee that she found pleasure in having her friend released from prison? It solved nothing of the whole crime scene, despite the event itself being very convenient and appreciated. Her mind remembered last night's dinner, where she spent some time with him as if they were having a reunion. She couldn't help but faintly blush as she recalled their cordial conversations.

She supposed that it was just comforting, within the midst of this cold chaos.

"Young mistress?" there was a knock on the door. "Are you alright?"

Smartly, she turned to the source and replied, "Eh?"

"You're going to be late. You have yet to eat breakfast."

One glance at the clock was enough to send her into a frenzy. Hands flying, she pulled on her school uniform and tugged on her long socks. Somehow, speedily, yet with extreme caution, she applied her makeup. She'd lose it if she messed up and had to restart the entire process. All the while, the maid watched in wonder. As always, the headmistress never ceased to amaze them. She was just full of many talents.

Then, she bolted towards the dining room, yet not without tossing an item to her maid. A direct order was left in her wake, "Comb my hair while I'm eating!"

Faster than she anticipated, Pacifica was currently far from her house and deep in the snowy forest. Stomach full, she marched forward. She smoothed out her winter coat and sighed, her breath appearing and disappearing before her. Pacifica was only nearing the Mystery Shack, but her heart seemed to be racing faster the more steps she took.

She inhaled and exhaled, deeply, "Relax, relax…"

"Hey, Princess!" Dipper popped up from behind her, causing her to yelp before she could stop herself. He only looked surprised, sending a finger in her direction. "Whoa! I didn't know you could make such a cute noise!"

"Shut up!" she flushed, "Your sneeze is worst!"

He, of course, looked affronted, as if she insulted his favorite food. "Well, I never!"

"Since when do you talk like an old woman?"

"First you offend my sneeze, and now you pick on my choice of words?" he sassily held his hips, "Talk about difficult."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're making it easy."

He scoffed dramatically, and she only winced. "Too easy. Stop, now."

Dipper chuckled and dropped his act. He questioned, "So, what brings you 'round these parts?"

Pacifica arched her remarkably sharp eyebrow. "Besides the fact I'm here for your sister this morning, I also came to tell you some news."

Interested, he motioned, "Go on."

"The police have doubled defense around the town. I've gotten Soul Fighters who could also help them out, which includes myself. We'd love for all of them to have a great day, but it won't be so amazing if someone is killed in the meantime." Pacifica said, her voice becoming harder near the end. She tossed her hair behind her back and spoke casually. "Go enjoy yourselves, and get back some normalcy."

"Wow, you are… being really nice. It must be a Christmas miracle." Dipper simpered, "And I guess it's not a problem since you've got no one to celebrate Christmas with, right?"

She felt a sting, but rolled her eyes. "Uh, yeah. I don't prefer to celebrate it with my parents."

"That's too bad, but thanks, anyway."

Pacifica shrugged. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." He smiled, before waving goodbye. She grew confused that he was leaving the house, anyway. There was no school today, not for the rest of the three weeks. Tempted to stop him, she shook her head and proceeded to the shack. Mabel was sitting on the porch, her pet pig keeping her company. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the blonde, and she stood up. "Ready to get started?"

"Yeah, but where is he going?" Pacifica gestured with her thumb. Mabel shrugged, a smile plastered on her face, "He mentioned something about a Christmas breakfast with Wendy and her friends before coming back. Talk about getting around, you know what I'm saying?"

"Oh," she stated simply, "I see."

"Well, um," feeling awkward, Mabel bounced on her heels, "let's finish this quickly so we can start the Christmas fun!"

"Of course, I don't wanna hold you for too long on an occasion like this."

"What'll you be doing today?" Mabel asked, tilting her head to catch her expression. Pacifica seemed very determined this morning to hide her face. "Making a house made of gingerbread? Wrapping gifts? Drinking eggnog?"

"None of those things. Nothing celebratory."

"What?!" at this point, Mabel was popping on up on all sides of her, trying to peek under her curtain of hair. She latched onto the blonde's shoulders from behind and shook her back and forth. "That's horrible!"

The other girl swatted her hands off and scowled at the exaggeration. She shook her head, "Afterwards, I'll be keeping guard with some others."

"Really? You can't spare some time off?"

"No, it's okay. I don't have anything to do today, anyway."

"What?! It's Christmas!" Mabel threw her hands up, "Christmas of all days! You get gifts and spend time with your family and stuff!"

"This isn't exactly the ideal conditions for a fun holiday. There's a murderer slashing through my citizens." Pacifica narrowed her eyes at the ground, clenching her fists. "And I have everything I need. I get whatever I want to get at anytime. Besides, I don't need to spend time with my parents. You've seen how they are."

"I… guess… you're right." Mabel frowned, before sighing, "Too bad, I could've pushed you under the mistletoe with Dipper."

Instantly, Pacifica's entire demeanor changed. She straightened up and blushed, "What? Why?"

"So you guys can, you know," Mabel made kissy noises, causing the poor blonde to gag. She pulled on her long locks and growled, "Stupid idea. We're just friends!"

 _Friends._

It was still strange to say it out loud, especially so openly and without rage or frustration. Naturally, genuinely, without stuttering.

"Wow, you admit that you guys are friends?!" Mabel squealed. "Give me the deets!"

Pacifica willed her face to cool with the freezing air as she tucked her hair behind her ear, "Well, he confessed first."

"That's so cute! Was he awkward about it?"

"He came up to me with a paper in his hand and talked about it as if it was a business proposal or something." Pacifica smirked, crossing her arms and reminiscing, "After that, we just kept hanging out."

She opened her eyes and stared upwards at the gray sky. "It's been… nice."

Mabel watched the other girl, a smile on her own face, but a bit bittersweet due to worry. Her dark blue eyes were full of affection, something soft and innocent that Pacifica probably didn't even know she possessed. However, the slight curl of her lip suggested that her feelings were unclear to her, and that she felt that they were against something greater. Mabel briefly thought about Dipper and his present crush on a certain redhead.

The brunette cringed visibly. Pacifica furrowed her eyebrows, "What?"

"Uh, nothing." Mabel pushed her to sit down and sprung onto her feet. "Let's start!"

She could only wish Pacifica good luck. She's never really liked a guy who's liked someone else, but she does know the feeling of liking someone who seems like they'd never like you back. Mabel felt her body slightly warm; she no longer believed that to be the case.

"Alright…" disregarding the brunette's behavior, Pacifica signaled for her to sit down. "Go ahead and continue where we left off."

"No problemo!" Mabel shifted on the cold grass and closed her eyes. Focusing her thoughts onto her spirit, she began to lose the prickling sensation of the cold on her skin and see the familiar light. It was simple, she was going to reach out again with her invisible hands and feel like she was drawing out some sort of energy. It was something she was steadily getting used to, albeit not having a lot of training sessions. She wasn't exactly one for using her leisure time to practice.

But it didn't go as planned.

Or, well, she cut herself off from it.

Her mind was clear, and her physical senses were nearly nonexistent. Yet, she felt a chill flowing through her. From where, she didn't know. There was the sense of imbalance, a persistent discomfort.

She snapped her eyes open, and it disappeared. Mabel wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. Her feelings of dread came back at full force, where she tried to push them back down unto the little corner of her mind where they belonged. Pacifica noticed immediately, "Hey, what's the problem?"

Mabel remembered that she was not alone. Sneezing, she sniffed afterwards and let out an uneasy giggle, "I guess my cold is making this harder for me. Not feeling super."

"Okay…?"

"Let me, um, try again."

And she did. However, the moment she was with nothing but the coldness in her invisible veins, she jerked back to reality. Pacifica sighed and pinched her nose bridge. She frowned, "You don't need to push yourself if you really can't. We'll just be wasting time."

"No, wait, I got this!"

After a few more failures, Pacifica was on the edge of losing her temper. Mabel hummed loudly, squeezing her eyes shut and trying her hardest. Pacifica gritted out, "You've already lost your focus. There's no point."

"But I had it!"

The blonde arched an eyebrow. "Had what, exactly? What are you feeling when you close your eyes?"

"Oh, uh…" out of nowhere, Mabel felt a surge of wariness, "...nothing I don't usually feel, really. Same old earth presence. I think the cold is blocking my… my spiritual pathways!"

She feigned a fit of coughs and looked towards the blonde, who only sighed. Pacifica waved her hand, "I see. We'll have to try some other time, like tomorrow."

Mabel sprung onto her feet and grinned. "You got it!"

When she was out of sight, the brunette slumped on the stairs of the porch. She rubbed her temples and ignored the itchiness in her throat.

 _When did I get better at lying?_ Mabel mused to herself bitterly. _Grunkle_ _Stan would be proud_.

"What're you doing out here by yourself? Where's Miss Rich?"

Speaking of which, his voice nearly made her jolt. Mabel shot to her feet and turned around, where Stan was standing above her. She waved dismissively, "Left. We weren't exactly making progress. I'm too out of it with this cold."

"So she ditches you? What a friend."

Mabel snorted at the thought, "Now that I think about it, are we finally true friends?"

"Aren't you? Someone you like hanging out with is a friend, right?"

"But does she see me as a true, best-friend-potential friend yet?"

"I dunno. That's something you gotta find out. Gah, Gen Z problems." Stan picked his ear and went back inside, mumbling to himself. Mabel shook her head. Finding out if she held a true friendship bond with Pacifica or not at the moment wasn't very high in her list of issues. Admittedly, there was a lot of things to worry about, and trying to process all of it was going to make her crazy! Mabel nodded to herself, very confident in her management of problems. There was no one around to say otherwise, after all.

Mabel held the door open, allowing her pig to go in first, before shutting it behind her. Stan was leaning back against the chair with a hot drink in hand and a warm, thick blanket draped over his legs. A crisp newspaper was in his other hand, folded back for an easier hold. He was wearing one of the sweaters she had knitted him. Everytime she saw her works of art on other people, it always made her smile.

"So, what's the plan for the day?" she bounded over to him. "We barely had anytime to set up a tree or buy presents this year!"

"Well, kid, it turns out that we got this. Poindexter told me to give it to you."

He was holding an envelope in the air. Plucking it from his loose grip, she briefly checked the messy handwriting, before ripping it open. There was a Christmas card inside, one with a happy snowman on the front.

"Oh!" Mabel bounced on her heels. "It's an invitation from Soos! He's holding a little get-together. Aww, how nice! We should totally go!"

"In this weather with a murderer on the loose? Imagine the scenario we might end up in. And I thought Halloween already passed."

"With more of us, shouldn't it be safer?"

"What am I getting out of this, exactly?"

"Umm," Mabel reread the card, "his grandma is cooking the food. So, no work?"

"Now, there's a sweet deal!" somehow, Stan relaxed even more, a content sigh escaping his lips. "I'll call up Poindexter and give him the plan, but… later."

"Are your bones cracking already?" She teased, "The crystal communicator is right beside you, and so is the phone."

"I've been like this since I first learned to walk, and even that was too much of an effort."

Mabel smiled and rolled her eyes fondly. "Alright, then I'll be upstairs crafting presents!"

He made some old man noise, signaling that he heard her. She disappeared beyond the steps and into the shared room. Settling down on the floor, the brunette pulled out several objects from beneath her bed and began her excruciating, yet fun, labor. After an hour or so, her brother returned, greeting her as he walked in. She spared him a glance and an excited hello, but her attention was mainly on the presents in her hands. Dipper tilted his head curiously, "What's that for? That looks like more than we need."

"We're going to Soos' for dinner, so I prepared gifts!" Mabel presented the item in her palm: a stuffed toy with keys attached to it, sprinkled with glitter. Dipper gave her a look. "What in the world would someone use that for?"

"To give to someone as a distraction, maybe? I haven't exactly worked out the purpose." Mabel squished it and cooed, "But it's super cute!"

She tossed it in the big black trash bag with the slowly growing pile of presents. Then, Mabel continued to work on the next one.

"Need any help?"

She jumped in her spot, having not heard her brother move to stand behind her. A droplet of hot glue hit the exposed skin of her calf, causing her to hiss. She cleaned it up at high-speed, before discarding the wipe. Mabel looked up and saw him with questioning eyes. He asked earnestly, "Are you alright?"

"Oh, I'm fine, it happens all the time, remember?"

"You being jittery and paranoid?"

"Aaaah, no. Just a little, heh," she shook her hands and shrugged, unable to find the appropriate description, "you know."

"I don't."

"Anyway, I don't need any help. I'm fine. You can go do Dipper stuff while we wait." She turned her head and tensed her shoulders. It took a lot in her to not just switch her position on the floor to face the other direction and keep an eye on him. However, she didn't even know why she wanted to in the first place. Looking him face-to-face also took a lot, as well.

But he abided by her suggestion, and she ignored the swelling relief when he stepped out of the room. Once more, she was alone, with the exception of her adorable pig on her bed.

Later in the evening, Mabel found herself fixing a tiny Santa hat atop Waddles' round head. She grinned, "I'm sure they won't mind if we bring you. Besides, you have some presents!"

True to her word, the pig had a small, black bag of gifts securely tied around his neck, where the bulk rested on his back. Waddles oinked, and she giggled, "Why, yes, Santa, I think I do deserve extra gifts. Thank you for such kindness."

"Mabel, come on, we're leaving!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!" after snapping one or two pics of herself, her pig, and themselves squished together, she skipped to the bottom of the stairs with her companion in tow. The camera hung around her neck bounced against her jacket. The Pines family went their merry way towards their dear friend's home.

Soos was unbelievably giddy to be hanging out with all of his closest friends. The decorations, albeit not super fancy, had that particular, special feeling and were set up with utmost care. The food laid out across the table; there was Christmas music filling the air. The atmosphere was the most relaxed and lively than it has been all week. His grandmother couldn't be happier for him, even if she tried. Seriously, he worried that it could drive her into cardiac arrest.

Anyway, the Stan twins were hovering near the buffet, somewhat arguing about the best character from some old Christmas cartoon. Mabel was busy taking pictures and trying to help his grandmother bake the rest of the cookies. She had opted to take off her jacket, proudly showing everyone her marvelous sweater. It was of a Christmas tree dotted with colorful lights that would turn on and off. A small incident happened, where Mabel was too distracted to see where she was going, and ended up bumping into her brother. The fresh cookies broke and scattered across the floor, but it didn't ruin the mood.

Wendy and Dipper were on the side, laughing about something. Her family, in which he invited to not separate the Corduroys, where playing a game about manliness and the like. Occasionally, the sole female redhead would blench in embarrassment, but she made no move to stop them from having fun.

When the doorbell rang, Soos only shouted, "I'll get it!"

And there he was, his most favorite person of all.

"Mr. McGucket! You made it!"

"Ah, well, I couldn't resist the festivities." Fiddleford chuckled and stroked his elongated beard. Soos wagged his finger at him, "Alright, but don't go sneaking extras into that jungle of yours!"

"That'll be up to how much I like the meals!"

They laughed together, feeling the spirit of the night wash over them. However, unbeknownst to his apprentice, the master needed to make sure that everyone he cared about was alright, even if that meant sweeping his newfound feelings under the rug. Yet, he wasn't the only one feeling anxious while everyone else had their fill of joy.

Mabel was nearly automatic, having been used to partying and living it up all her life. But her mind was focused on keeping herself safe, and that meant being in certain spots where she wasn't forced to confront the source of her fear. She nearly put on her jacket again, feeling too exposed and too cold. Her instincts were going haywire, but all were none the wiser.

She couldn't remember the yummy food she had eaten, the jolly songs she sang, or the gifts she unwrapped. She only remembered staring at her brother's back, because she couldn't look at him head-on.

There was no murder on Christmas.

* * *

Dipper slipped on his usual clothes, feeling quite refreshed after a warm shower. He gazed at the fogged mirror and wiped some of the steam off to see his image. A quick look over, before he dressed up in his usual clothing.

He combed back his damp hair with his fingers, then reached for his work backpack on the floor. Suddenly, he stopped in motion, as if just realizing something. He grinned at the thought and turned around to the door. However, a loud beeping caught his attention. There was a groan, a smack, and abruptly, it was quieter. The mattress creaked, and the blankets rustled, causing Dipper to turn around. He observed his sister stir from her sleep, rising up to rub her eyes. The sweater hugged her comfortably, where she explained that she wore it to sleep to fend off the cold.

"Oh, Mabel, you're up earlier than usual." He noted. He watched her face shift from dazed awakening to a wary stare. "Set up an alarm?"

 _That's interesting._

She only replied with, "Yeah…"

"Something the matter? You have somewhere to go?" he inquired with worry. She shook her head, brown locks flying everywhere. Mabel smiled sheepishly, "I do have, uh, a question… and I was hoping to catch you during your free time. I wanted to wake up early for it."

"Can't it wait?" Dipper frowned, placing his hands on his hips disapprovingly, "Even from here, I can see that you're still ill. You need more rest. Don't push yourself."

He turned to open the door again, but this time, she hopped onto her feet. The world seemed to spin for a moment, and her mind wasn't agreeing with her stomach. It was probably due to all those sweet treats and delicious meals she ate last night. A bit too much, if she were to guess.

"H-Hey, wait a second!"

"Yeah?" he stopped again, watching her try to keep herself up. She ignored the urge to lay back down and rest. After blinking a few times, she could firmly stand on both feet. Her brother said nothing, offered nothing, only waiting for her to continue with her thoughts.

Mabel bit her dry lip and held one hand on her stomach. The dreamcatcher, hidden within the confinement of her sweater, was burning against her skin, sending her mind in a jumble. She had to say something. She needed to do anything. She wanted to know everything.

Dipper sighed.

"Mabel, are you really okay?"

She inwardly flinched. Although he didn't hold a hint of malice, the words spoke otherwise. He was impatient to do something. She glanced at the clock, noting that it was still a bit too early for him to go to work. Dipper saw her check this, too, and then she found herself feeling like she had just made a mistake. Suddenly, the tension was palpable.

Mabel steeled herself.

"What was it like?"

He furrowed his eyebrows. "What was what like?"

"The mountain."

Dipper stayed silent, until, "Why are you asking me now? It happened six days ago."

"I just want to know. We can talk before you go to work, can't we?"

"Again, six days ago. A little weird for you to be asking me now."

"You seemed really hung up about it six days ago."

There was a slight creak as he moved to sit on the bed.

"There's something called moving on from a bad experience." Nonetheless, he continued, "It was awfully cold, and I felt like I was running in circles."

She shot out, almost too quickly, "How'd you break out?"

It was funny that she was doing her great uncle's work. Grunkle Ford had intended to ask him all of this and these specifics after Dipper had calmed down from his "traumatic" experience. Then, the murders began to occur, whisking away all thoughts about what his grandnephew must have learned from inside of the mountain, and breaking out of it. It's always interesting to see how one can forget after focusing on something else that takes priority.

"It's long and complicated, so you wouldn't understand."

She persisted, "What did you see in there?"

"I'd love to answer all your questions, sis, because I'm sure you're just dying to find out, but I don't find this really necessary. What're you gonna do if you know? It's not like we're going back there."

 _Evading, evading…_

"Y-You can't just tell me? Was it something bad, or painful?"

"You wouldn't be able to imagine."

"Oh," she rubbed her fingers over the thick cloth of her sweater, "not even a short, bland description of what was inside?"

"Are you trying to make me relive that moment or something?"

"No, but it's over, isn't it? What's wrong with just… talking about it?"

"Maybe I just don't _want_ to talk about it." Dipper stressed his voice, "So can you drop it?"

"You had talked about it to Grunkle Stan like it was the worst thing, and then you don't want to say anything at all! You made him feel bad." she muttered to herself hotly, before tightening her grip. "Why won't you tell me anything? Out of everyone?"

He looked at her with puzzlement, but her head had been down for the most part. If it was up, her eyes would be wandering round and around their room. His tone was there, however, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I saw you lie in the interview, Dipper. Why did you do that?"

He rolled his eyes. "What? You've never lied before?"

She grimaced at her hands, feeling the guilt weighing in her gut. He watched the gray sky through the window. "The media didn't have to know everything about me. I'm sure they already know enough."

Mabel didn't bring forth another question, so Dipper stood up and shrugged on a jacket. Just as his hand touched the doorknob, she sprung to her feet. Before any of her courage was lost, she rose her head and finally released the words that were teetering on the tip of her tongue.

"Do you know what this is?!"

Mabel snatched the dreamcatcher from the inside of her sweater and held it up for him to see. His eyes widened considerably, and darted from her face to the item in her hand.

"A dreamcatcher?"

"Yes!" Mabel demanded, "Do you know why this was under my bed?!"

Dipper's eyes drifted to a steady glare. "Are you accusing me—?"

"Just _answer_ me!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. He didn't flinch, not in the slightest. The great uncles below, although wide awake, couldn't understand her words, and only took the ruckus a part of another one of their games.

Gradually, he stepped closer to her. Each step creaked against the wooden floorboards of their room. The glint in his eyes seemed different now, with an ominous resolution reflecting off of them. Mabel felt her heartbeat quicken, and herself almost trembling from fear.

 _Cold_.

She was _cold_.

She tried to laugh, ask, say something, but she just—

"Mabel," He was directly in front of her frozen form. Before she knew it, Dipper's fingers were wrapped around her wrist in a firm grip. He inquired with a soft voice, "What's the matter with you?"

 _I don't know._

He spoke in a low voice, "Are you planning to attack me? With that thing?"

 _I don't know..._

"You're just so silly, sometimes." He shook his head fondly. "Give me the dreamcatcher, and I'll see what I can do with it, just like you want, right?"

 _Don't touch me!_

He smiled reassuringly. "Everything will be fine."

Mabel felt like the grip on her wrist was digging into her skin. She couldn't turn away from his gaze. The same voice that had been haunting her for days was now screaming in her head, and that's when it hit her.

It was her—it was _her voice!_

The part of her that was warning her—her paranoia—telling her that everything was _not_ _ **right!**_

Yet, her voice couldn't reach him. She couldn't bring herself to attack him. She couldn't break away.

She was terrified. She was trapped. Why?

Her brother would never hurt her. Why?

She was kidding herself, he wasn't going to do anything. She was overreacting—

No, she wasn't.

Was she?

Yet nothing said otherwise.

Why would she be afraid of him? She shouldn't be afraid—

but she is, so let go let _go letgoletgo_ _ **letgo—**_

 _Saved_ , the feeling of it, she felt it course through her. Ford's call brought her back to reality. He called for her brother, "Dipper! Come on! We're gonna be late!"

"In a minute!"

The dreamcatcher was plucked out of her fierce grip. She watched as he examined it, flipping it around in his hand. He explained, "Since it's enchanted, it being under your bed, instead of over, allows it to still capture your dreams."

Instantly, Dipper snapped it into two using one hand, yet his eyes were focused on her face. The fragments plummeted to the floor. He released her and looked down at the pieces, "See? All done. We can figure out who put it there later."

Dipper noticed that she was still frozen in her spot. He uttered gently, "You look pale. Gah, I knew waking up this early wasn't good for you while you are still feeling sick. Maybe you should sleep."

Mabel stammered, "S-Sleep?"

"Yeah," Dipper shrugged, "and when you wake up, you'll feel better."

"Hey, what's the hold up?" Ford poked his head through their door. He saw them in their current positions and became confused, asking, "Something wrong?"

Dipper had stopped staring at her to look at their great uncle, but she still felt like she was being smothered by observant eyes. With her hands shaking behind her back, Mabel managed to voice evenly, "Nope. We we just lost track of time with playing and… talking."

"Ah, I see." Ford beckoned for Dipper to follow. "Come, now, we have to leave."

"Of course!" He gave Mabel a pat on her shoulder. "See you later, sis _._ "

Mabel hadn't moved an inch after they left the room. Once they departed from the shack completely, she felt her aching heart still hammering in her ears. Her knees buckled under her, and she let out a shuddering breath. She pushed herself against the bed and held herself together, trying to breathe. But as tears brimmed in her eyes, she forced herself to get up and start moving. Grabbing her backpack, she shoved clothes and other necessities inside.

"Hey, Mabel," Grunkle Stan knocked, before walking in, "Pacifica is still waiting for you outside."

"Oh, right. Whoops, I forgot, silly me." Mabel didn't look at him. "I was just packing my bag because I wanted to get ready to sleepover at Candy's house."

"Another sleepover? But you just had one."

"That was at Grenda's house."

"Yeah, alright, whatever, just hurry up."

"Okay!"

As Stan exited the room, Mabel swiftly wiped the tear that strayed from her eye. She sniffed and took a deep breath, "Get a grip, girl. You're fine. You are _fine_. So fine. Finer than any wine or art in a gallery or hot guy in a mall."

Mabel went downstairs and met Pacifica outside in front of the shack. She mustered up a smile that barely reached her eyes. If the blonde noticed, she didn't comment on it.

No matter how much she attempted, nor in what ways she did, she just couldn't keep herself calm enough to reach that spiritual energy. It was spiking, fluctuating, unable to keep itself stable. It was weird describing it in such a way, because it was her soul that she was seeing. She could see it disturbed, and she now knew just how deep that distress ran.

Pacifica was exasperated, and recommended to pause their training until Mabel felt better. The brunette reeled back, "N-No, wait, Pacifica. I think it's more than that…"

"What do you mean?" one eyebrow rose behind her bangs. Mabel fidgeted in her spot, "I mean that I don't feel just… sick. I feel kinda, you know, like, scared."

Much to her misfortune, she sneezed right after she had admitted that. Pacifica crossed her arms, "Scared how?"

The disbelief in her tone made the brunette cringe. She couldn't answer honestly, so she just went with, "With what… I mean, there's been… a lot... of stuff going on."

"Oh, you mean the murders?"

"No…" she trailed off, debating internally whether she should just tell her or not. Pacifica sighed, "It's okay, Mabel. I know it seems like it's getting worst, but trust me, we're making sure the creature isn't striking again. No matter what, we'll keep the rest of Gravity Falls safe."

That sounded rehearsed, like she's said that a bazillion times. Only, it was a more simple and short way than how she usually put it.

"That's not... _it!_ " she tried, "It's something more than that, but I need you to listen!"

"That's what I've been doing!"

"No, you haven't!" Mabel stomped, "You're talking to me like I'm some town citizen waiting to be the next corpse on the news! That's not what I'm trying to say at all! Why can't you just understand me?"

Pacifica's nostrils flared with anger, "You're _wasting_ my time, your time, and especially, _my time._ "

Mabel watched her turn around and leave wordlessly. Defeated, she fell onto the porch stairs and curled up inside her sweater. Waddles nudged his beloved owner, but to no avail. Later, Stan would rouse her to get up and ask her what was the matter, but she'd only say there was nothing to worry about.

* * *

"Your sister was acting weird this morning."

"Right?" Dipper tapped his chin, "I'm trying to see if she had eaten anything bad as of late."

Pacifica leaned back into the now-familiar booth, "Well, it was Christmas yesterday."

"We did go to a party, but I don't think Soos' grandma would poison her."

"You don't think or you just didn't see?"

"Breaking news, the murderer is revealed…"

"Hey!" Pacifica shushed him, "That's insensitive. And really dangerous, we don't know who could overhear and spread rumors."

"Yeah, okay, okay." Dipper bit into his fluffy pancake. She sliced into her own, nonchalantly asking, "So, how was your day yesterday?"

"Well, aren't you improving quickly?"

"Shut up."

He snickered into his palm at her expense. Face red, she stuffed her face with a large piece of sweetness. Dipper fretted, "Hey, slow down! Don't choke because you're learning how to be human!"

Swallowing, she downed a cup of orange juice, before pushing the empty glass to the end of the table to be refilled. Pacifica neatly dabbed her mouth with a napkin, to which Dipper clicked his tongue at. "What a princess."

"Barbarian is what you are."

"I don't know what you mean." He said naively. Pacifica lowered her eyes to the empty plate in front of him, before raising them back up to his face. Promptly, he burped loud enough for other patrons to hear. Patting his chest, he grinned, "Oh, geez, excuse me. That felt good."

"You're quite the caveman. Eat, sleep, fight. Is that all what you do?"

"I like games!"

"Oh yeah? What kind of games?" Pacifica rolled her eyes. "I bet they're the nerdy ones that need dice with too many sides to be legally part of a game."

"You're the one to speak about doing other stuff…" Dipper pouted, "I bet you sit around all day at your desk doing paperwork, and then you go home and sit around and do more nothing."

"Paperwork is _not_ nothing! It's vital to this region and to everyone in it." Pacifica poked her fork his way, part of her pancake still hanging off of it. "I bet you don't even know half of what it's about."

She munched on her food with a haughty smile. Dipper blew a raspberry. "Probably boring stuff, like new students, or people getting injured."

"I'm in charge of a lot, it comes with the uniform."

"It's admirable."

She paused, red tinting her cheeks. Her mind flashed with memories of them at the fair, her head on his shoulder, his strong voice carrying his words. She looked away. "You still think so?"

"Mhm. I'm grateful, since you keep all the students safe." Dipper sighed, "I don't know what I'd do if Wendy got hurt, or something."

Pacifica immediately sobered up. Her heart was being pulled every which way. She said calmly, "You must like her a lot, huh?"

"Yeah," he smiled, gazing out the frosted window, "I do."

As the sun descended below the horizon, the frigid wind blew harsher, and the night was endless. Dipper stalked towards the shack, feeling comfortable in his warm jacket. Stepping up the porch, he quietly made his way into the house. The brunet slid past the living room and up the stairs. He opened the door, a grin creeping its way onto his face. "Hey, sis, you in there?"

But she wasn't. Her bed was left just as it was from this morning. Their room was cold and empty, only their decor could make it appear comfortable. Dipper's visage was neutral while he sought for an answer.

"Where is Mabel?" Dipper asked, peering over the wooden frame of the doorway.

"Mabel? She went to go sleepover with her friends." Stan replied, sipping on his cola. He and Ford were busy laughing over some dumb joke in their show.

"Oh…" Dipper voiced simply, going back upstairs.

* * *

"There. All done." After placing the finishing touches on the bottle, Candy and Grenda stood back to admire their work. The bespectacled girl clapped her hands. "It looks so beautiful! I'm sure he'll love it. Right, Mabel?"

Both girls turned to the brunette, who was absent-mindedly staring at the finished product. Frowns etched onto their faces, where they exchanged concerned looks and questioning eyes. Grenda turned down the pumping music, and Candy flicked the lights on. The room was no longer illuminated by funky colors from their decorated fairy lights. They plopped down behind their sullen friend and nodded at each other in determination.

"Alright, Mabel," Grenda clenched her fists and slammed down them onto her thighs, "you better tell us what's wrong, or we're bringing out the tools."

"Grenda! That's not what I agreed to!" Candy admonished. "Those are never used on our friends, only on everybody else."

"Dangit, but we never get to use them!" she whined. Candy glared at her, before turning towards her other friend. "Mabel? We're here for you, and you can count on us."

Mabel clutched onto the hem of her nightshirt, licking her dry lips. Her chest was a tightly furled clutter of everything she wanted to confess. How do you even tell someone something like _hey have you ever gotten that feeling where your brother is going to kill you and throw you in a ditch?_ It was absolutely ridiculous! Who would believe her? Who would even help her?

Candy pursed her lips, restraining her nervousness. Grenda's shoulders slackened, feeling the silence eating them both. There had to be something seriously wrong.

She refocused her gaze onto the bottle, tracing over the design, remembering whom this bottle was for. She wasn't completely alone, was she? She could depend on more people, and this one was really going to be worth it. She was sure of that now. Tearing her eyes off of the bottle, she gave them a look of resolve.

"I need one of you to knock me out."

"What?!" Candy spluttered. Grenda raised her clenched fist. "I'll do it!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Put the fist down." Candy placed her hand over her fist and lowered it, then turned to Mabel. She could only ask one thing, "Why?"

Mabel's expression never wavered. "I need to place my trust over fear. I have to say something before it's too late for more people. And I… should've said it a while ago."

"That's very valiant, but it still doesn't really explain why you need to be knocked out." Candy struggled to keep Grenda's hand down.

"Okay, wait, I may have gotten a little into the moment." Mabel rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I just need to go to sleep so I can talk to Bill."

"You can talk to Bill in your dreams? That's awesome!" Grenda bounced in her spot. "How are you sure it's him and not a dream version of him, though?"

"I don't know, honestly. I can just feel it."

"This is why you called for an emergency sleepover, isn't it?" Candy concluded, to which Mabel nodded. Grenda asked, "Why here, though? Why couldn't you have done it at home?"

Mabel gulped, unable to respond right away. She pretended to think about it while scratching her cheek, "I've been sleeping and dreaming better when I'm outside of the woods."

What good would it be if someone were to find out that she was going off, telling people who she suspected? Especially if it were her friends she were telling, for they may get in trouble. With the murderer having unknown characteristics, it could be nearly anyone. Good thing they've already done a personality check, so they knew who was who. She'd only hope that they'd understand. Although appearing unconvinced, Candy and Grenda didn't question her reason. Grenda sipped on some Mabel juice, feeling the tension drying her throat. Candy looked more uneasy than before. However, Mabel continued with her clarification.

"When we had our last sleepover, I was able to get a dream with Bill in it. We talked, but I didn't tell him everything I should have. I felt like I wasn't able to." Mabel appeared somewhat ashamed as she averted her eyes. "So to distract him, I made him sleep with me, if only for a little bit."

Grenda did a spit take, sending Mabel juice everywhere. Candy gaped, "You _slept_ with him?!"

"What's the big deal?" Mabel asked, before realization dawned upon her. She flushed and threw a pillow at them, where it hit Candy square in the face. The brunette shouted, "Not like that!"

To no avail, for the bespectacled girl was still gaping as the pillow slid down from her face. Grenda was snapping her fingers uncontrollably, "Oh, snap! Oh, _snap!_ Mabel's getting some!"

"You guys are _so_ not helping right now!"

"She's growing up so fast." Candy wiped invisible tears from her eyes, "Where has the time gone?"

Grenda held a fist to her heart. "She'll always remain in our hearts."

"I'm not growing fast enough to be dead!" Mabel grabbed onto their shirts and shook them to and fro with all her might. "Focus! Important, serious stuff is going on! Life or death, maybe! End times! End times!"

"Okay, well I got the perfect thing to put us to sleep." Grenda said, wearing a solemn expression.

Then, they were positioned in their sleeping bags on the floor, surrounded by pillows. The television in front of them was about to play something.

"A documentary?" Candy questioned. Grenda nodded, "On trees. It always works."

"Who makes a documentary on trees?" Mabel said as she rested her cheek on her palm. One glance at her friends made her eyes almost bug out. They were asleep! Or dead, maybe, because they weren't even moving.

A loud snore broke through her thoughts. _Nevermind,_ she thought.

Mabel turned back to the dim screen, hearing the dull voice narrating, yet she did not understand his words. Her eyelids grew heavy, and abruptly, she was in deep slumber.

* * *

" _Shooting Star?" Bill found her standing next to the river, where she was hanging her head in a despondent manner. She looked up and drank in the sight of him, her mind partly being comforted by his presence, yet still being overwhelmed by terror. Her lips moved in a way that should have generated words, but no sound came out. He persisted, "What's wrong?"_

 _Mabel didn't speak, for she feared her voice would fail her. She feared that her feelings weren't sensible, that they were generated from nothing. She feared for what the possibility may be for her feelings of suspicion and trepidation. She feared what may have become of her brother, or what will become of her._

 _No matter how much she tried, she couldn't shake off the feeling of fear. It was eating her alive._

" _I… I have to tell you something." Tears were already streaming down her cheeks, and she rubbed them dry furiously, irritably. "I'm going to t-tell you that… that—!"_

 _She breathed as much as she could, "That I—!"_

" _Shooting Star! Hey!" Bill bolted over to her quivering form. She was sobbing, now, but she hadn't turned away from him. Her determined tone had rapidly faded into a mewl, "B-Bill…"_

 _Mabel dove into his chest, clutching his coat and soaking in his warmth. Albeit it was only a dream, she felt immensely more at ease once again. He, on the other hand, was forced to watch her break down in tears. He subconsciously placed a hand on her shoulder, "What happened?"_

" _Bill, I—I," Mabel stuttered and inhaled sharply, "I'm scared."_

 _He felt a spike of fury in his chest for the cause of her terror, as well as intense worry. "Of what?"_

" _Dipper has been acting so weird after he came from the mountain, a-and," she allowed another sob to rack her body, "no matter what I do or think, I always feel scared and—and I can't take it!"_

 _Her tears were fresh and pouring. "I shouldn't feel this way…"_

 _And it was then Bill realized her tears, her illness, had been from endless stress on her mentality. Her feeling of anxiety had taken its toll on her body, in which she was more susceptible to sickness, and the tears were produced to relieve some of her constant stress. The thing is, is that she had no idea just how stressed out she really was the entire time._

 _She was currently snuggled in his embrace, and she couldn't find it in her to switch to elation. Mabel pulled back and wiped her tears._

" _Bill, I'm… sor—"_

" _Don't be," he interrupted. Bill cursed profusely at his heart that was begging to take over, clear everything and take her away. No, he had to think about this, and he had to do it in a way that didn't ruin his progress. "You made the right choice."_

" _Will Dipper be okay?" The dread was still apparent in her eyes. "Bill, you can't hurt him—"_

" _Shooting Star, just watch out for yourself." He held eye contact. After a moment, she nodded, although faintly. Nevertheless, she's felt safer than she had any time this week. Nestling into his hold once again, she intended to stay there until the morning would steal her away from his grasp._

* * *

 _...but a smile was on his face._

" _So that's how it works, huh?"_

* * *

 **Until next time!**


	48. Chapter 48

**Happy New Year, everyone! (also Merry Christmas)!**

 **...it's late, I know. Have my longest chapter so far to make up for it!**

 **Thanks for your patience!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

* * *

 _He refused to turn his head. He didn't want to see an image. He wanted to find reality._

* * *

She's thought this before, but she thinks again.

 _The snow is so pretty._

It was a fleeting thought, but it refreshed her strained mind. Now that the world felt calm, her guard lowered considerably. High up in a tree, Pacifica leaned against the trunk and stared downward. The small snowflakes would drift slowly, then stick to the snow and become one with the rest. It was a sea of white underneath her, provoking her to jump in. She ignored the need to satisfy her curious urge. Not before long, her mind shifted to the status quo of her town.

Gravity Falls was never that much of a dangerous town full of vicious delinquents, but there were the occasional sirens and wild chases. The police weren't half bad, either. There was a prison full of criminals to attest it. However, it seemed like no one wanted to be caught doing any trouble, lest they want to be accused for something worst. Maybe they even avoided being caught by the murderer itself. Nevertheless, the town was still in imminent danger. The murderer was still on the loose, and had been making quick work. Oddly enough, there were no reported deaths on Christmas or the day afterward. As wonderful as it was, they still weren't able to find much of anything about the creature. It frustrated her to no end. The _thing_ was totally unidentifiable.

At this point, Pacifica was extremely concerned with how things were turning out. She's never experienced this sort of issue before. What would happen if word got out about her carelessness? Could she get reprimanded from her higher-ups? Or worst, be left open to attacks from other enemies, perhaps stronger ones? Someone could even capitalize this unlucky moment and attempt to take her place. Although, that was _stupid_ , considering the town didn't need that sort of conflict right now. Aside from all the long-term consequences, she was still struggling with what she should be doing at _all._

Round everyone up? _No, that could lead to a massacre._

Keep everyone inside their homes? _Then how would anything else get done? There's no telling how long that could last._

Request for backup? _There were no other towns nearby with Soul Fighters. Her town was the one that's supposed to assist the other (usually smaller) towns, after all._

A tinier, quieter part of her was terrified. She knew— _from the bottom of her heart_ —that she could fix this by herself. And that meant not extending her hand out for other leaders to dominate her role and prove her unworthy. Among the police, she felt as grown as they appeared. Pacifica did not want to hold them down, especially when people's lives were on the line. She never had to look to anyone for support. Well, except for Dipper.

Her heart started beating a little faster. Even only his appearance soothed her. His smile was imprinted in her mind. Keeping him safe and close made her inexplicably content. His friendly attitude made her almost positively merry. She fidgeted in her spot, a grimace crossing her visage. She didn't like her sudden desire to be with him, in whatever context. Pacifica never needed someone else with her to feel composed in the past.

Her head perked up at the sound of a pair of footsteps treading below her. Pacifica narrowed her eyes as she pressed her back against the frozen bark. However, her scar didn't tingled, indicating that the two possessed no dark energy. She stayed silent and waited.

There was an abrupt crunch.

"Wendy."

Pacifica felt her breath hitch. That voice was… _Dipper_.

What are they doing here? Why were they out here where she was? Did they know that she was _right there?_ How come, out of all places, they appeared directly underneath where she was standing?

"I… I—uh, geez, this is so weird!"

His boyish laugh echoed in the emptiness, along with a feminine chuckle. Pacifica's eyebrows slightly furrowed, her lips curving downward.

"Spit it out, man. I'm getting worried with how much you might be sweating. And it's winter!"

A beat.

"Dipper?"

"I'm sorry," a sharp inhale, "but I have to tell you that I…"

She couldn't breathe. Something was lodged in her throat.

"I like you."

Maybe it was her heart.

But how could it be, when it was pounding so loudly in her ears? Tremors rippled through her body. She clutched her chest and forced herself to stay quiet, to stay calm, to stay still. Even if she wanted to move, she didn't want to give away her position.

The silence stretched on, and on, and on…

"Dipper," Wendy started, her form lax but her shoulders tensed. However, nothing else came from her mouth.

Said boy looked down, half of his confidence out of the window. "I said it was weird, so of course it was gonna be _weird,_ and now it's more weird than I thought it would be! Now I'm saying weird too much. Gah, I knew this was stupid!"

"Okay, Dipper. Dipper."

Wendy snatched him by the shoulders and gazed into his eyes. She hoped it would give him something to focus on, and also not be too awkward.

"Dipper, it's all good. You don't have to freak out about it, man."

"I don't?" a pause, "Can I hate myself for it?"

"No, doofus, don't beat yourself up over it. I think it's sweet." The words tumbled out of her mouth, friendly and comforting. Then it became unsure. "How are you feeling?"

He shrunk.

"A little… embarrassed. But I thought it'd be okay to tell you."

He swallowed, but his mouth was dry.

"I really wanted to tell you. I felt like I would die from keeping it in so long."

He frowned deeply, fear written on his face.

"Are you upset?"

She shook her head, "I'm not."

"Are you confused?"

"No, I may have sort of already known. You mumble a lot, and quite loudly, too. Sorry, dude."

"...Shoot," grumbled Dipper.

She let out a little amused noise, and he gave a half-grin.

"What now?"

She noticed, unfortunately, that his grin was a little bit more expectant than she anticipated. A chill ran up her spine suddenly, and the air dropped with tension. Wendy mustered up her courage and sighed, "Dipper, I have a boyfriend. And I'm too old for you."

His face fell as he grew quiet, then, "I know."

"So…?"

"I'll still like you…" he fiddled with his hands, "but I won't get in your way. I hope that's okay."

"Right now, dude, that's perfectly fine."

It was so stressful, and so odd. Wendy rubbed her index and her middle finger together, not appreciating the heaviness. She knew this was coming, one day, but not so soon, especially with what's been going on. His crush on her couldn't have been revealed at a better time? The redhead forced her hand up, "I'll see you later, okay? And thanks for paying for lunch."

"No problem!" Dipper yelled after her, before shoving his cold hands into the pockets of his vest. He bravely marched home, leaving silence in his wake. No one was around to have heard his confession, nor the rejection that followed.

 _I wish,_ Pacifica thought with a humorless smile, _I wish I wasn't here to hear that. How shameful._

The vicinity was void of sound once more. She almost thought she daydreamed it all, if not for her twisting emotions.

 _How convenient for them to be where I'm stationed. Isn't that embarrassing? He just got turned down, and he still wants to hold on to his crush. Although it's petty, I have blackmail now. Heh, imagine what I can…_

She felt a sound rising up her throat, so she clutched at her mouth to contain it. Her eyes stung.

 _Why does it hurt? Why?_

He should be thankful that it's not complicated. These times were not for romantic drama. Who knew what was to come? Why worry about something so—

Her legs folded underneath her. The snow dampened her knees.

 _Hey, hey! Northwest. Calm down. Don't get hung over something idiotic._

She didn't need this. There was no reason to feel this way. There was no time to feel this way. All she had to do was simply brush it off.

Her hand gripped onto the bark of the tree, hoisting herself onto her feet. Albeit her wobbly knees, she managed to compose herself considerably. She continued to keep strict watch of the treacherous area, burying her vulnerability.

Meanwhile, Dipper arrived at home. Stanley asked, "So, how'd it go?"

"How'd what go?"

"Your face is unnaturally red and you keep fidgeting. You told her you liked her, didn't you?"

Dipper rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and grinned. "Am I really that obvious?"

Stan grinned, but it faltered slightly. "How are you holding up?"

"She didn't like me that way," he scratched his arm in a bashful manner, "but I'm okay."

"You can keep up the manly facade, but not even the manliest man is immune to a heartbreak." Stanley patted the chair, "Come on, kid, get drunk off of Pitt Cola and watch some reruns with your ole' Grunkle Stan."

Dipper sighed, but relented. A smile was present on his face. "Okay."

* * *

"Prince? Dear Prince?"

Bill suddenly remembered where he was, blinking twice before looking towards the one who was calling his name. The vampire arched a delicate eyebrow. "Are you alright?"

"I've never been better." Bill responded as he leaned back into his seat. The bloodsucker didn't look quite satisfied, "Then what were we just discussing?"

"Diminishing food supply."

" _State of affairs_ with the Romanian government."

The blond winced internally. _Shit, that was a careless mistake._

The vampire took a deep breath. He brandished his fangs with a patronizing grin. "Dear Prince, it seems that we really aren't getting anywhere. This whole time you've been here, you've been visibly distracted."

"I'd ask for a little empathy, if I could," _but you aren't human, so you don't have any,_ "but you're right, I should be concerned on managing my allies."

"Allies? Us?" the vampire snorted, "I'm not even sure you remember my name."

It took a split second, but he responded smoothly, "Edward."

" _No."_ The vampire hissed, "It's Imir."

 _Is that supposed to be based off of "Vladimir?" Who the hell named him?_

Bill wasn't sweating, nor was he anxious, but he was definitely kicking himself right now. The amount of errors he's made this evening has been unacceptable. Ever since his brief exchange with Mabel, he's been on edge and unfocused. By now, he would have these fools wrapped around his finger. With enough charm and appeal to their narcissistic tendencies, it would have been simple.

"What occupies your mind, Dear Prince?" Imir sighed as he leaned back, "With all the conversations I've heard, I thought you'd be begging for us to join you."

Bill narrowed his eye, slightly. "I don't beg."

"Neither do we." Imir smirked at him. "But it would be in your best interest to consider us above the others."

Not soon after, Bill was marching along the dark corridor of the Gothic fortress. The vampire had declared for a break, and so he and his cronies probably went out to eat a deer or a human or something. He halted in his step after nearly bumping into another regal-looking vampire. She furrowed her eyebrows. "Your Highness?"

"I'm just going out for some air. Your brother called for a break, anyway."

"Wait!" Mira grabbed his sleeve to stop him from leaving. He whipped his head at her and ripped himself from her grasp. She crossed her arms. "I heard what happened in there. It doesn't seem to be going well."

"What's it to you?"

"Well," she tilted her chin higher, despite being the taller of the two, "I am the sister of the ruler. If he isn't here, then I take his place. I manage most of the difficulties within the vampire community. I'm the reason that we have a powerful global presence—!"

"Yeah, okay, got it. You deserve more credit. Now what?"

Startled by his interruption, she accidentally wavered. "N-Now you must answer me! Will you be our ally?"

"Why are you so desperate?" Bill asked as he tilted his head up to her. Her mind was a little bit muddled, but he could still comprehend the gist of it. Her face fell. "My brother is very confident in our species, as am I. But the humans have invented new weapons. They are in the shape of guns and fire garlic."

"Garlic—" Bill stifled a laugh. "That must be terrifying."

She was oblivious to his puffed cheeks as her tone took on a somber tone. "They want our land to preserve their civilization. They say that our consumption of the forest animals have long damaged the food web and is disrupting the natural order of the region. They said with our size and population, it could send Romania and the surrounding nations into an overpopulated area of greens and bugs. Brother tried to walk into their official building and suck their blood as an 'example' of what us vampires are _graciously_ avoiding to do, but…"

She nearly teared up, "he was pelted with garlic."

Bill hid his face and guffawed silently. "That's horrible."

"It is." Mira grabbed his hand and clutched it tightly. "So, please, help us. I'll swallow my pride if it means we will survive for a better future."

"That all depends on how your brother wants to deal with things, sweetheart." Bill snatched his hand out of hers. "And stop touching me."

"Sorry, I barely get to feel a warm body. It must be nice." Mira frowned, "Anyway, please consider it."

She stalked away and blended into the shadows. Bill shook his head and decided to push that to the back of his mind.

The blond spotted a window and swiftly unlatched it, swinging it wide open. He peered outward, and saw the roaming shaded figures. The sky seemed nearly always cloudy, blocking out much of the sun. He wasn't sure how they managed to do that, or if that aspect of the region is what attracted them to live here. The eerie atmosphere of it all reminded him of his destroyed home.

Bill climbed up and out of the building. He floated to the roof and perched on top.

The smell in the air reeked of iron. He scrunched his nose and looked down, before his eye drifted close. His mind extended across the world to find hers.

His eye crinkled, but nothing popped up. Mabel was no longer asleep. He cursed up and down, before closing his eye again just for contemplation.

 _What's wrong with her turd of a brother? Cursed? Bewitched?_

He thought back to the dreams Mabel has had lately. To the subtle gloom in her usually bright land. To her tears and her pleading voice. The tears that streamed down her face. Her fear.

Bill shuddered at the coursing, fresh rage, before continuing.

His mind wandered to her first dream when he left. He should have been more alarmed when he found her lost in her own mind. Her lack of response, her lack of control; she was completely dominated by her subconscious. And he stood back, watching her cry and smile simultaneously. He looked behind her and saw the mountain.

The _mountain_.

 _She cleared her throat. "Well, you see, Dipper went into this magical mountain three days ago, but he came out fine in just an hour."_

Mountain of Youth.

 _"Dipper has been acting so weird after he came from the mountain, a-and," she allowed another sob to rack her body, "no matter what I do or think, I always feel scared and—and I can't take it!"_

No, there was no magical properties that would make Dipper as _weird_ as Mabel was describing him. The only thing that could do that was post-traumatic stress from the experience. But that shouldn't be possible if she said he got out in just an _hour._ It would take at least a couple of weeks, and the severity would greatly increase just by being in there for more than a month. Then again, that very fact didn't make sense either. How in the world did a buffoon like _him_ get out in just an hour? That seemed impossible.

 _That's it._

"That's fucking it! It is impossible!" Bill shot up to his feet. "It _wasn't_ him."

It was an imposter. He wasn't sure who, yet, with his mind racing at the revelation. Nevertheless, he knew that he needed to search for the real Dipper and clear out the fake one.

He nearly teleported away, but one look around made him remember exactly where he was. Bill sneered, "Damn royal duties."

The servant seemed greatly surprised to see the prince waltz in without warning. He looked straight at her, and she nearly fainted from his intense gaze. "You. Tell your leader I'm taking a recess."

She nodded, "Y-Ye—"

"And where are you going, exactly?" Imir inquired from behind him. Bill turned around and saw the taller man licking his bloody hands. His companions were behind him, guarding him like his own live armor. The blond replied, unperturbed, "I don't think that's any of your business."

"You really don't know anything about leadership." He chuckled darkly, "So young and so blind. Don't you know honesty builds trust? Actions speak louder than words? There hasn't been a single thing you've done for our kind, and you want us to give you our all, now?"

 _"You could fix all their problems, and they'd still see you as the enemy. I just think you need to put yourself out there more, instead of just your services." Mabel fiddled with a lock of her hair, staring out into the dream view. She hummed as she pondered about her words, while tapping her chin. Then, she giggled and looked up at him, "Am I making any sense?"_

"I'll give you what I can give right now. My name is Bill Cipher, and I'm going to take back my kingdom and my realm from a dark demon lord. If I'm going to do that, I'll need a large army and a lot of _help_." He nearly choked out that last word. "I don't want to sacrifice any potential subordinates. Those that work with me will benefit themselves and the rest of the world's species. If not, the world will plunder into decimation."

"...So you are say saying, live or die?"

"Yes."

Imir doubled over on his laughter. He grinned widely. "Are you an idiot? We are a species that live forever! We are considered to be monsters ourselves! We are one of the top species worldwide, one of the most famous! Who are you?"

Bill felt his anger peaking. "So what of the earlier talks of issues?"

"Those are simple to resolve. I'll be _honest_ ," Imir winked, "I just wanted someone to do the work. We do need our food and space."

Bill went silent.

Imir tapped his chin, "Although, if you truly are some know-it-all prince that has already allied with more of the mythical creatures, then…"

He pointed at the prince, "I could _kill_ you, and take over your rule."

Bill was still quiet, but his eye lit up with recognition. A sinister smirk etched into his face, and Imir nearly took a step back at the sudden aura he was emitting. The blond snickered, "That's a great idea!"

If there was anything Bill remembered millenia ago from his father's teachings, it was that there were two ways to rule: through _love_ or through _fear._

"Tell me. Do you sparkle?"

Imir seemed quite taken aback. "Sparkle? No!"

"Shame."

He sought not for everyone's love.

"My lord!"

"Imir!"

"Brother!" Mira ran towards her fallen sibling. Blood oozed from the scorched wound on his face. His companions didn't seem so happy.

"How fucking dare you!" one snarled and raced towards the unmoving blond. Despite his phenomenal speed, Bill had already read his mind, and knew exactly when to dodge. The vampire's hand grazed him by a few mere centimeters, allowing the shorter boy to jab him in the gut. Without hesitation, he elbowed him in his back, sending him into the ground.

"Son of a bitch!"

"We'll kill you!"

"Piss off!" in the blink of an eye, Bill stole Imir, who was now unconscious, from their little circle. "I don't have time for your stupid games. Let me make this _quick_."

Bill walked out of the fortress and into the open. The moment the public saw their ruler unconscious and bleeding profusely, they stopped and watched in shock and awe. The blond held him up like a ragdoll.

"HEY! You see him?"

He dropped him onto the ground and stomped his foot on his body. "This guy isn't your ruler, anymore. _I am._ "

Sure enough, it sent the crowd into a gasps and outrage, but, wow, did Bill just _not care._

"And at this point on, I'm appointing _her_ ," Bill threw his thumb over his shoulder, "to be your governor while I'm gone."

"You can't do that!" Mira stepped up, but backed up as soon as he faced her. Bill held his hips with a pout. "And why not? This guy sucks, and he sucks at ruling. You clearly know what you're doing."

"That's—" at a loss of words, Mira clenched her fist in frustration, "You can't just hurt whoever you like because they don't agree with you!"

"Funny, since that's what he tried to do before, right?"

"You've scarred his face!"

"And he wanted to kill people. The difference is, I succeeded."

"Is that what you'll do to the rest of us?" Mira gritted her teeth. "Just what kind of ruler are you?"

"This guy gets hurt, but the rest is unharmed… for now, anyway." Bill formed a mini ball of fire and twirled it around his finger. With a boyish smirk, he said slyly, "Unless someone wants to move forward and get hurt. I have no qualms with it."

There was uncertainty in the air. Bill looked around and saw some of them wanting to engage combat. However, there was visible fear holding them back. It was almost perfect.

"Listen hear, you bloodsuckers!" Bill yelled, making sure everyone was paying attention. He moved the body under his foot a little, making Imir groan in pain. "I don't care what you think of me, nor do I care what you want to do to me, because tough luck, you are going to fail. I am not your slave, servant, or friend. I am your prince, and I will be your king. I need you all to be in tip-top shape, so, of course, I'm not going to just _randomly_ kill or seriously injure some of you."

He guffawed after that sentence like it was comedy gold. With a lower voice, he grinned sadistically. "But it all depends on your behavior. It would in your _best interest_ to consider me above the others."

He looked down at the suffering ex-ruler. "Isn't that right, Edward?"

Bill didn't even have to read everyone's minds to feel triumphant. The trepidation in the air was palpable. Maybe some were even trembling, who knows. No one would dare stand against him, now. They feared his tremendous power and skill too much. There was too much terror to even think if he had less strength than he presented. Too much distress to move and attack altogether in hopes of taking him down. It was nearly intoxicating.

His mind flashed to Mabel, and everything in him seemed to freeze. Bill rolled his neck and patted invisible dust off of his shoulder.

"That's all, folks. I hope you have a beautiful day!" with a curt wave, he disappeared. He had to find Dipper—the real Dipper.

* * *

 _ **Seven… and a half days ago**_.

"Maybe if I go this way." It wasn't long before Dipper stuttered in his steps. He looked around and shifted his direction. "No, that won't work."

He retracted his path, only to feel as though he ended up nowhere.

"I'll just try something random?"

He walked slowly, then he sprinted. And then he stood still before twirling in place. Suddenly, he was on the ground, kissing the snow. He shuddered at the coldness and flipped onto his back. His thick jacket did him well; the hood protected his head, although his legs were a bit affected. His shoes weren't exactly made for such thick snow, but it was better than nothing.

"Ergh! This is frustrating… so… frustrating..." he threw an arm over his reddening face. The silence consumed him whole; his senses were numbed. After a while, he was concerned that he had surrendered to the clutches of death.

Dipper shot up onto his feet, apprehension coursing through his veins. He really did _not_ want to die, especially not in this place. He always thought it would be on the battlefield, victorious until his dying breath… or something epic like that. There was nothing wrong with some glory, right? This place was far from glorious.

"I'll find a way." He marched forward, intent on… being intent. "It's cold, but I can do it."

 _ **Seven days ago.**_

Dipper had woken up, expecting to be wrapped up in the warmth of his blankets, enveloped in the warmth of the shack, and smelling warm pancakes. But, no, because life hated him. A lot, apparently. Enough for him to jolt awake by a freezing nightmare and probably frostbite at an unholy hour. A few minutes passed before he realized he was still stranded inside a cursed landmark. A shiver coursed through his body, prompted by the dropped temperature. It was still dark because it was winter, and so he chopped off some branches and lit a small fire. He tucked the lighter back into a pocket of his backpack. In case of emergency, he stashed a box of matches in the same pocket.

Luckily, there was barely any wind, except for the whispering breeze. For the most part, the whispering breeze was just a white noise. Sometimes, he could catch a word or two, and other times, it was a jumbled mess of hushed anguish. He shuddered at their despair. It hadn't taken him that long to realize where those voices came from, and what exactly they were mourning about.

 _I'm lost,_ a few would say, _I miss my family._

 _My home._

 _My dreams._

 _I'm starving._

 _I'm crazy._

 _Where am I?_

 _Who are you?_

Dipper cringed, bringing his hands to his ears, muffling the words. He didn't want to end up as a voice in the wind. He didn't even want to hear them groan and moan. He willed it to be something different.

 _Lost and hungry,_ they could say, _and missing all my shows. At least I don't have to go to the dentist. But oh, no, I'm dying! The light is there! The liiiight_ —

He didn't know where this morbid sense of humor came from, but that last thought made him snort. Then, he felt bad. What a way to disrespect the dead; laughing at their final words as they trudged along their loop of doom.

 _What would my last words be? My final thoughts?_ he thought as his skin tingled and his lips trembled. He controlled his breathing and tried to make the horror disappear, _I haven't even written a will. What if Mabel takes everything? What if she tells everyone that she beat me at checkers? I can't let people think she beat me at checkers. Checkers is way too easy to win, and she doesn't even know how to jump a piece._

He smiled a little, before pressing his palms against his face. "I'm thinking about my own death and the most important thing is that I don't wanna lose checkers. _Checkers_. I couldn't even worry about chess?"

But now he was worried about chess, since he mentioned it out loud. Grunkle Ford might tell everyone, soberly, _"My poor, poor grandnephew, who I always beat at chess. I mean, I absolutely destroyed the kid. He had no chance."_

And then Grunkle Stan might pop in, adding with salty tears, _"He never could face the world, the boy could almost classify as a noodle. Sure, he's growing some muscles, but they're nothing compared to my beautiful biceps."_

And then he'd kiss his beautiful biceps, spilling his tears on each one. And then all the townspeople would weep with him, all the while praising his beautiful biceps.

Dipper chuckled, filling the air. He deeply missed his family, and it hadn't even been twenty-four hours.

Currently pressed against the trunk of a tree, he sat cross-legged atop a waterproof mat. His stuff laid beside him, while a blanket laid across his lap. The crackling fire in front of his small campsite provided more warmth.

Dipper spent a few more moments of gazing at the flames, before looking up to the sky. The darkness was ever-present, so he snuggled into the hard wood and felt a drowsiness cross his eyes. Yet, he couldn't, because he feared of the cold nightmares and the possible frostbite and of never waking up again and of waking up only to find himself on the enchanted landmark. So, tiredly, he lifted himself slightly and dug through his backpack for the journal and a pen.

Soon enough, he was swimming in his mind for all sorts of solutions. There was a surplus of things he could try, but a limited amount of time hanging over his head. If he rationed his food and water strictly, then he'd have a good month or so to figure out how to get out of this magical deathtrap. Of course, he could opt for surviving long enough until someone pulled him out, although it was highly unlikely. No one was known to escape, after all.

It was one of those times where he graciously thanked his own unreasonable readiness. Mabel was right; he had packed a lot. It was mostly camping gear and non perishable goods (save for a few fresh fruits), and he'd never forget the journal. He may have also brought some other things in case he ran into a deadly, supernatural, forest creature. However, that was doubtful, in this case.

He tapped his pen against the page and refrained from chewing it. He… didn't really pack a dozen pens, unfortunately.

He wrote down the number _"20"_ on top of the page of the mountain, then struck a line across it. He had only been in the mountain for half the day, after all. Afterwards, he wrote the number _"21"_ next to it, before drawing an "X" over it. There, this was his starting point. One day and a half was currently his timeline.

After eating and drinking a little, Dipper packed up all his belongings. He held the journal open in one hand and trudged forward. The fire's crackling faded as he moved away.

It was only a few hours later when he found himself sitting down for a short break. He had been walking constantly, against the cold air and the thick snow slowing him down. He was still as lost as a blind mouse, and the worst part was that he couldn't smell for any cheese. It was an odd craving now, but—

"Hey, dawg, want some cheese?"

Soos was holding a platter out to him, adorned with a variety of cheese and toothpicks. Dipper grinned, "Cool! I'd love—aw, dang it, not again."

He was alone, once more. "I seriously need to stop falling for these. It's been about a few hours, and I still think they're real."

Dipper scratched his head. "And I'm talking to myself. Not like that's entirely new."

"Well, sometimes I speak to myself." Ford said as he sat next to him. Dipper blinked in surprise, his heart lurching forward at the unexpected arrival. Ford turned to him, "It helps out. It's not weird."

"O-Okay…" the boy responded unsurely.

From what he's seen so far, there's few types of illusions he could run into. The first were manifestations directly from his current state. They'd talk to him about whatever situation he was in, be it sad or frustrated or what he just said out loud. The second were images that appeared but seemed misplaced. It didn't correlate with the situation, and were just doing their own thing. The third was ones that ran away and hid all the time, and hoping to receive any answers to his way of escape, he would chase after them. It was a tiring process.

"It's like you have someone to talk to, whether you agree or disagree. First is left."

Dipper thought about replying, but the illusion had already disappeared. It was a strange thing, because most times the illusions were coherent. Other times, they could mix up their sentence like the Ford image had just did. However, they never responded to anything he said. Interestingly enough, they also seemed to keep themselves in character as much as they possibly could, despite being artificial.

He sipped onto his bottle of water before tucking it away into his bag. The compact warmth would keep it from freezing.

Dipper stood and brushed off the snow. His legs were feeling stiff, so he had to keep walking. His back was beginning to ache, with all the stuff he was carrying, but he worried about leaving it in one place and never finding it. He secured the hat on his head and sniffed.

Nevertheless, no matter his spirit, his body would not comply. His aching joints begged for rest. He finally succumbed after at least twelve hours of continuous wandering. His panting appeared before him as dissipating wisps.

He stared up at the starry, night sky, and felt his heart ache. The abundant amount of covers and cloths warmed his body, but not his soul.

 _ **Six days ago.**_

The morning was a lonely, bland sight. He sought to fill it with life, soon.

He thought about all the times he and Mabel would laze around for hours. How they would fill their time with games and exploring. He remembered the feeling of being at home once he finally moved into the shack after the horrid week. His great uncles were peculiar, but not any less loving than his parents. They also enjoyed fun, albeit some of their ways of having fun were different. Of course, being almost arrested for making counterfeit was not really fun. And almost getting eaten multiple times by mythical man-eating creatures was also not that fun.

Right now, he felt stuck in some weird game. No instructions, no controls, and seemingly no way out. He just moved around in this blank space.

 _I wonder if that's how Giffany felt._

"Well, isn't this a fun game?" he mused. It appeared he was doing that a lot, lately. Tipping the bottle, water flowed past his numb lips.

It was the only thing he could do, anyway.

He stared out into the dullness. A sad thought, appearing abruptly, yet inevitably.

"I'm the only player."

"I loved him."

"Oh, my gosh. _Shit!_ " Dipper placed a hand over his heart, thoroughly freaked out. The curse word slipped from his tongue, but being alone, he felt quite unrestrained. "I wish these things would stop popping up out of nowhere! It's not good for my heart, and I'm only fourteen!"

"He was the first person to ever accept me for me. He was something new in my endless void. And he enjoyed being around me, if only for a little bit."

Dipper rolled his eyes. Was the illusion seriously giving him her life story? He didn't need to hear it. She was just a destructive being that was obsessed with the idea of love.

"He made me feel… real."

He looked at the pixelated illusion sitting across the fire. It was an odd sight, since he's never actually seen what she looked like. He's only seen her as black electricity and a metal fork. He guessed that just knowing their existence gives them their appearance.

She looked very much like a girl cosplaying, if not for her pixels. The pinkness of her hair was bright, and the ribbon just seemed ostentatious. Her eyes were big and wide, twinkling with some sort of purity. Her voice contained a robotic tint, albeit she was not in a digital space. Dipper grimaced, "Go away."

"Is it evil to love?"

He sighed, "No."

"Is it evil to act out of love?"

Knowing she couldn't hear him nor react to him, he still replied, "No."

"What separates us as people that deserve to live?"

His mouth fell open, but nothing came out. Giffany must be speaking about her versus him and his friends, right? They were real and she wasn't. They were defending what she was attacking. She was setting fire and destruction… for Soos. For… love? But she was evil, wasn't she?

He looked away. She continued, "Do you have the right to decide?"

When he looked back, she was gone. He leaned against the trunk and grumbled, "Humans don't act like that, Giffany. They have humanity."

But there were crazy people in the world. Insane, psychotic, cruel, vicious... And wasn't it _bad_ to steal and make counterfeit? And wasn't it _bad_ to push people into fountains and punch unicorns? Given, they deserved it, but there was this whole moral standard about being above someone. Yet, he never really cared about being above someone, he just believed in justice. He had his morals, but a part of him believed morals were relative. They could change given the circumstances.

 _Then why so black and white now?_

No, he had reason. He did! He never actively sought to kill innocent people "in the name of love." That was just crazy. Everything he's slain were mindless monsters.

Well, Giffany was far from mindless. She was very determined, actually. Regardless, her determination left her blind.

"If I believe she didn't have the same cohesiveness and character of an actual person, then I can't say I killed someone, right?" Dipper shuddered, and not because it was freezing. He didn't murder anyone. He didn't. He didn't.

"I didn't." Dipper whispered to himself. He tilted his chin upward, but his eyes squeezed close. "I didn't kill her. I didn't kill anyone. I wouldn't kill anyone."

But if the situation call for it, _would_ he kill someone? Would he kill for his great uncles, or for his friends? What would he do if Mabel was in danger because of a person? And would this exclude other creatures in general, like mermaids or manotaurs or anything that wasn't human but could think like one? _Did that mean he was responsible for the murder of Giffany? Did it count if she was already_ _ **dead? Or did nothing matter as long as he and whoever he cared about was alive?**_

His eyes squeezed tighter. He wanted to scream, or maybe cry again.

"What she did was wrong."

"AH!" Dipper nearly fell to his side out of shock. Melody didn't appear to care or notice, "Love requires sacrifice. Love means putting your needs second. She may have loved him, but she did not know how."

"Yeah, that's… that's great." Dipper regained his regular breathing. "I'm just _so_ interested in, like, your philosophy on love."

"If you had to act out of the love for the people you cared about, to protect them, then I don't see that as wrong."

He only turned away for a second, but the illusion had disappeared. Dipper shook his head and groaned, "What a waste of time. An actual waste of time."

His head rested on the tree with a little _thunk._ "But she's right. I'm not evil, I was just protecting them. Dumb Dipper. Don't get so tripped up on nonsense."

He exhaled softly, "And I guess Giffany wasn't evil, either. She was… haunted."

Before long, he was on his feet again. His mind brushed aside those thoughts. He was glad that he got his "did I commit murder or not" pondering out of the way, but it didn't really help him with finding ways of escape. He roamed around, although nothing in the proximity changed. His eyes never stopped searching for something, something to help him get out.

A frustrated sigh escaped him in the form of a wispy cloud. A wish could be really helpful, right about now.

But wishes were meant for fairytales, and right now, he was far from it. So he straightened his posture and stared ahead with determination. His mind came whirring to life.

He's thought about the way things worked on the mountain. It was a sight thing.

The illusions were only people he had significant interactions with. Despite knowing the names of everyone in Gravity Falls, he hasn't seen a single illusion that was a normal, random citizen. When he walked out of a certain zone, or turned away, or sometimes shut his eyes, they would disappear. It was the same with however he affected the environment. He left behind a small piece of paper near a tree, then walked forward until he felt like he was far enough. Next, he backed up all the way until he arrived at the… supposedly same tree. There was no piece of paper.

He made sure to tighten all of his stuff onto his backpack.

It was only a few hours later when he took another break. Past the tips of the gigantic trees, he could see the fading sky.

The setting sun was a lot more beautiful from here. Nevertheless, he stood up and began again.

 _ **Five days ago.**_

"Why couldn't it have been summer?"

His grumbling blended into the wind. Accustomed to it, he only continued.

His eyes felt like they were drooping out of his sockets. His breathing was ragged; every second, there was a fresh cloud of frost in front of his face. Dipper felt something shake, before he fell over into the snow. He was exhausted, he realized. He had been working through the freezing night, unsure of whether he was awake or asleep. Although it was difficult to rise, he pushed himself to setup camp near a tree.

Dipper was finally able to rest, eating and drinking as much as he could with his strict rations. Despite feeling unsatisfied, it would be enough. His weary gaze sought beyond the cover of the snowy forest, but he could penetrate nothing. Dipper sighed and closed his eyes, pinching his nose bridge. He could feel a slight headache coming on, and his nose was starting to feel runny. A small cough escaped his lips.

It seemed like only a few minutes passed before he heard the faint calling of his name. He opened his eyes, and felt his heart stop.

"Dipper, get up! We need to get you out of here!"

Grunkle Ford hoisted him up onto his feet, and Dipper nearly shuddered at the warmth. The older man grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him in some direction, past all the illusions and beckoning voices. An ecstatic smile made a way to his face. He was real! And they were going home!

"Oh, my gosh! Dipper!" Mabel met them outside the mountain. She ran up to her brother and hugged him fiercely. She was warm, too. He hugged her back with choked laughter. Grunkle Stan tightly wrapped his arms around them both. His gruff voice sounded soft, "Geez, kid, we were worried sick about you."

He couldn't remember how, since everything seemed so fuzzy, but he didn't care. He sat among his family at the dinner table, talking joyously about something or the other. The house seemed so bright in contrast to the dull snow he had been encircled by. The smiles on their faces were something he'd never forget. The warmth of the house was comforting and familiar. They proceeded to dig into the food on the table. Dipper bit into a delicious piece of turkey… but his mouth felt empty.

He woke up slowly.

He was laying on his side, on top of the waterproof mat. The fire in front of him was still burning, albeit weakly. His mind registered what had happened. It was only a dream.

Dipper punched the mat, but it lacked strength. Although he could not see it, his knuckles were probably white. It was a good thing he had gloves on, or he would be cutting into his palm.

"That was real. That _felt_ so real." Dipper whispered to himself, and he felt his grip loosen. "It's not fair."

He had been asleep for a few hours, it seemed, because the sky was a dark, dark shade. Although, the moon had yet to rise over the horizon. The stars were feeble and lacking. He turned away from the sky and rested on his side. The weakening fire shone in his dull look. The cold began to seep in, so he snuggled into his thick blankets. Despite his best efforts, it was still chilly to the bone. Reaching over, he tossed a few sticks into the dying flames. The red and orange ate away at the new fuel, strengthening its warmth.

He knew how much morale affected labor, so perhaps if he cheered himself up in a way, he'd become more productive.

He tried thinking of something funny he's seen before, but nothing came up. He tried to tickle himself, but it didn't work. He even tried to make funny voices or dance weirdly, but it just made him tired. His spirits were dwindling, and Dipper hadn't the strength to stop it.

"Knock, knock."

He paused.

"Who's there?"

He answered.

"Me!"

He laughed, sadly.

Dipper planted his forehead onto the mat and groaned. He was so worn out from his constant thinking and the stress of the situation. He had been walking nonstop, so now his legs felt like sore jelly. He stretched his legs out in front of him and pulled up his long pants. Gently caressing his legs, he couldn't help but grin a little. "At least I'm getting a decent workout. Look at these nice calves."

"Hey, dude!"

Yelping, Dipper flushed and yanked his pants down. Wendy grinned and waved, "I like the confidence. Be proud of your muscles… although, not too much. Or else you might turn into my dad."

He couldn't help but continue blushing. Even though she was only a fake, just the image of Wendy seeing his self-examination made him embarrassed. She paid no mind, "I grew up in a family of mostly dudes. You learn a thing or two, you get scarred for life from time to time. Stuff happens."

Vaguely, Dipper recalls Wendy telling him something like that before during one of their hangouts. The redness in his face faded, but he still didn't say anything. Sure, it was fun most of the time to talk to something that acted like you didn't exist. Nevertheless, at the moment, he just didn't feel like entertaining himself with it.

"Yeah, three brothers and a whole loving, manly figure of a father. The oldest, Marcus, the middle child, Kevin, and the third," she walked to the right absentmindedly, "Gus."

Dipper, in his quiet observation, had immediately sensed something click in his head. Why had she moved so deliberately?

He blinked, and realized that the illusion had vanished. Dipper pursed his lips, before taking out his journal and a pen. He almost nibbled it, but quickly remembered that he couldn't risk destroying it. So he settled for leaning back and engaging himself in rumination.

 _She was standing still. Then she moved to the right. Usually, that would be a normal gesture for just being unable to keep still, but it was stiff, and she was looking at me while she did it._ Dipper tapped his pen repeatedly on the page. _And it was right after she said third._ _So, what's important about knowing third and moving to the right?_

Something else sprung to mind. One of his first illusions of his Grunkle Ford.

" _It's like you have someone to talk to, whether you agree or disagree. First is left."_

"Those sound like… directions…?!" Dipper wrote both of them down, but frowned as soon as he saw that he was missing the second direction. His eyes flickered over to his dates, where he took the amount of days he was in the mountain into consideration. Estimated, he was here for three days, and a total of eighty-four hours. Three days and three directions… which meant a direction a day, or more likely every twenty-four hours. So, if he followed the directions now, could he leave in just three steps?

But he couldn't, because he couldn't remember _anything_ that might have been related to the second direction. Not for the life of him. He curled his fist and banged it against his forehead in vexation. Would that mean he would be stuck here if he missed the 24-hour period for a step? He couldn't even think of any times he had heard an illusion repeat the same direction. And if they had, he just hadn't paid close attention to what they were doing or saying.

"Did I seriously just miss my chance?" Dipper wanted to rip his hair out. "There's no way! There has to be an exit..."

Currently, he felt drained of all energy. His limbs were heavy, and he just wanted to keel over and sleep. The fact that he may have just lost the opportunity to leave had hit him as hard as Leaderaur's punch. Dipper succumbed to his cravings and laid down. He was out like a light.

 _ **Four days ago.**_

Surprisingly, his present setting provided him with a good opportunity to gaze into the distance and reflect. It's been awhile since he's had some time to think to himself, he remembers. The last time he had thought to himself, he nearly threw up, believing he was turning into some sort of murderous soldier. Regardless, he didn't perceive that way of thinking anymore, knowing the reasons behind his actions. But it still made him feel awful. Thus, he actively ignored contemplation, and instead used up any time he had to break out of the enchantment. Although, as simple as it sounded, it just wouldn't last long. Soon enough, one thought led to another, and he was mulling over all sorts of things.

He's been on a rampage for so long that he's forgotten several things already. What page was he on in the journal for leisure reading? Where did he leave his slippers? When was the last time he visited his parents' graves? Why was he here again?

Oh, right. Although their species are supposedly bloodthirsty, a Kill Billy decided to toss him into an enchanted deathtrap with no known means of escape.

 _That's so weird. Why did it do that? What made it do that?_

He would figure it out, probably, but, later.

And then he remembers some other things he wanted to think about that he never gotten the time to think about. Like, how was Bud so unbothered with killing his own son? Dipper himself had no issue, since Gideon was well on his way to becoming pure darkness, but those two had familial ties. And was Giffany considered higher than a category ten, since she could cause quite a lot of damage as a spirit? And why, during his fight with her, did his sword weigh him down at one point? Was it the trauma? The memories? Did they drag down his spirit, which also lead to his soul weapon dragging him down? How come Bill always stayed in Gravity Falls after he had forgotten everything?

Did his great uncles ever get into fights? Because he sure has had some with Mabel before. Why did Mabel get powers, and not him? How did he not die from a punch from Leaderaur that would have surely killed Pacifica's parents? Why was her family the founding family? Did his birthmark mean something? His parents were never astrologists (if that was even a profession). They were only historians.

And then there were some things he had trouble remembering that he _knew_ were important. Important to talk about… important to discuss…

But he couldn't remember. Oh, well… maybe he'll remember it once things were better.

Hopefully.

" _Shut up!"_ he cried out. "Shut the hell up!"

Then, sometimes, he just couldn't tell whether his thoughts were his or someone else's. Or if his voice was his or just the wind. What if he already died and this was the afterlife? And all he was doing was avoiding the people he sought to see?

"Leave me alone. Let me out of here." He fell against a tree and banged on it. The sound resonated through the vacant forest. He opened his hand and clutched the tree, wanting to tear it a new one. He was sick and tired of being in this loop! It was gonna drive him mad!

Dipper stomped forward and didn't stop. He was seething with unbridled rage and obstinacy. His legs began to ache, but he didn't care. His lips were cracking, and his face was frigid, but he didn't care. His nose was runny, and his throat felt itchy, but nothing in him wanted to fix _anything_.

"I hate this _mountain._ I hate that I can't even leave my stuff anywhere, it's so heavy! I hate the illusions. They're so annoying. I hate the voices because they're annoying, too. I hate this snow and this forest, and I hate feeling sick!"

His legs gave out under him, where he plopped face down onto the snow. He whacked the snow with both hands in a childlike manner. "And now my fucking legs stopped working! What the heck!?"

Dipper could taste every curse word he knew from his great uncles resting on the tip of his tongue. Lest he become a total barbarian, he bit his cheek and was close to drawing blood. He rested his raging hot face on the snow. "Can't something go right? Ever? Or am I just doomed to—oh, my gosh, this snow is so infuriating! It's cold, and it hurts!"

He crossed his arms and placed his chin inside the cranny. "Nature's wrath feels like the physical form of Pacifica's glare. No wonder it's so _icy._ "

"Nice to see you again! It's Giffany. **Just Giffany.** " She waved cheerily, "Are you having trouble there?"

"My luck just got better. Oh, hell, not this girl again."

"Why don't you try taking a break? Save your progress and try again soon!" Giffany said cheerfully. "It's important to recharge, _for_ when the time is _right_ , you'll be able to complete your quest!"

 _Four… right._

"Four is right." Dipper echoed out loud.

He buried his face into his arms and hoped it would make the illusion go away. Giffany continued, "There was this one time when Soos forgot to save since he was exhausted from playing with me so much, but it's okay, he didn't realized I auto-saved."

She giggled robotically. "He is so funny. He always makes me laugh."

"Four is right. Four is right."

"He's very thoughtful. I was so trapped and alone, but me made me feel loved."

"Four is right."

"He deserves all the happiness he receives." Giffany closed her eyes and faced toward the sky. "Now, I finally feel free."

Dipper sucked in a sharp breath. He slowly looked back up at the illusion, but she was no longer there. A cold chill ran down his spine. Was she… there? Actually there?

Was it the mountain's doing? Or was it his mind? Or was it her?

He shook his head and regulated his breathing. "It doesn't matter. All that matters is getting out."

Once he regained control over his legs, Dipper crawled off of his stomach. He reached into his bag and took out his journal to record the direction. The lingering anger hung in his mind, but he had taken most of it out, anyway. All that was left to do was get back to work. Him screaming at nothing was at most a stress-reliever. He pocketed the journal and rose to his feet.

His eyes caught the fleeing figure of someone, so he swiftly pursued. Perhaps if he managed to catch the illusion, it could tell him the next direction in advance. Or maybe repeat the second direction.

However, it was beginning to seem impossible with how long the chase was going on, and how futile each attempt felt. He would dash to the right, but the illusion would show up in the corner of his eye, somewhere else. He would jump up onto the trees, yet the illusion would be barely visible under the myriad of branches. Although, when he would jump down to ambush the illusion, he only collided with a pile of frozen water. The fury that dissolved was speedily rebuilding.

No matter how fast Dipper was, nor how much soul essence he used to boost himself, the illusion continued to outrun him.

 _No, it's not even outrunning me. It's basically teleporting all over the place!_

He felt a tick mark pop up on his forehead as he drew his sword from a flash of light. "Take this!"

Hurling it at the illusion, it phased through it and disappeared into the shadows. Soon enough, he felt his weapon return to his soul. The evanescent image promptly halted, before it completely became one with the air. Dipper wheezed as he placed his hands on his bended knees. Cold sweat ran down his temple, which only made him more freezing. He irritably wiped it off of his face and flicked it into the snow. Dipper lugged himself and his humongous mound of supplies toward a tree to fix up a campsite. In the journal, he wrote, _"Do not chase after fleeing illusions. Only a distraction."_

 _ **Three days ago.**_

Maybe he could lure out the spirit that enchanted the mountain.

Like, using an offering or something.

"Oh, great spirit who has cursed this mountain. Hear my desires and gifts!"

With both hands in the air, he looked to the sky. A pen in one hand, and an apple in the other.

"In exchange for freedom, I will give you this pen _and_ this apple!"

Silence.

"I cannot think of anything else to give you! Please consider!" Dipper brought out tape and taped the two items together. "I have a pen. I have an apple. Nothing else to it. I can't possibly think of anything better than _just_ a pen and _just_ an apple."

He sighed and lowered his hand. "What am I doing? No grand being would want an apple or a pen."

He kicked a little bit of the snow. "Maybe they'd try for a pineapple. Dang it."

Dipper tucked all the items back into his backpack and set it down by the tree. He made sure to stay near it, lest it disappeared forever. He tapped his finger against his chin in deep thought, before summoning his sword. Carefully, he drew an intricate circle in the snow. He wasn't sure what it was based off of, but it looked symbolic enough to manifest something. He pulled off his glove and stared at his pale hand. Holding a breath, he brought his sword over his palm.

A few moments passed, where the sharp edge of his blade was hovering over his skin. He gulped and—

"No, no, no." Dipper tossed his sword on the ground. "I'm not about to slice my own hand for the _tiny_ possibility of whatever deity might be accepting it."

He stared at the sword on the ground, before biting his lip. "But what if they _do_ let me leave faster for it?"

Dipper picked a few leaves from the tree and placed it around and inside the circle. He squinted his eyes in thought, then snapped his fingers. Not long after, there was a pen and an apple in the center of the circle. He stood back and nodded in satisfaction. Glancing back down to his sword, he picked it up and flipped it to and fro. His reflection stared back at him, and it was then he could finally see how he looked like after the past few days. The bags under his eyes were sagging, and his skin seemed to be extremely dry and cracking. He ran a hand through his hair and felt the grease. Disgusted, Dipper fixed his hat back onto his head and pondered, "I wonder if I can survive a brief shower in the snow…"

Dipper coughed into his elbow, then extended his hand out over the perimeter of the circle. He gulped again as he placed his sword over the palm of his hand.

 _I have a potion, right? If it doesn't work, then I'll just move on._ Dipper exhaled, _I need to try what I can._

The moment the blade pierce his skin, his heart lurched, and he cringed in pain. Crimson liquid trickled down his palm and into the snow, staining the white surface red. His sword vanished as he let the blood drip off of his hand. When he deemed he had bled enough, Dipper took out a potion and poured a minimal amount on his wound. The pain waned, and the cut on his hand healed.

Silently, he observed for any considerable modifications in his environment or atmosphere. Half of him expected the sky to split open and chaos to descend, as if he angered some higher being or permitted a demon to enter their reality. Another part of him thought he would wake up and have the doctor tell him he's been in a coma this entire time. None of that was happening, though. There was only utter serenity and the whispering wind. As the seconds ticked by, and those seconds turned into minutes, he realized that nothing was going to change.

Dipper raised his hand slowly and curled it into a fist. "I just spilled blood for nothing. _Nothing._ "

He shouted suddenly, "If you're expecting a whole beating heart, then I've got some bad news for you!"

Dipper huffed and combed through his backpack for his journal. He wrote down on the page a little bit roughly, _"Don't offer anything. They don't want it, nor do they deserve it."_

After setting everything onto his back again, Dipper resumed his infinite journey. This time, he refused to give chase to the evasive illusions. And unfortunately, that seemed to be the only ones he's been running into. Sometimes, he could discern who they actually were. One was Mabel, which was quite a redundant sight. Another was Melody, and one of the other ones was Bill.

"Cipher is quite a cipher, isn't he?" Fiddleford chatted, "It's like he's the personification. I feel as though he doesn't even know himself most times."

Dipper shrugged and slurped his water. "Maybe. He thinks so lowly of everyone, and doesn't realize he can be just like them."

"It's always the curse of being a man of science and the unexplained. You must figure out how everything is done and undone!" Fiddleford swung his arm heartily, "The thirst for knowledge is never quenched."

"You said it," Dipper raised his water bottle to the illusion and nodded, "whatever you said, you have said it, my friend."

"Although, with my forgetfulness, I feel as though I never even get a sip." Fiddleford stroked his lengthy beard, "My head's never feeling so right nowadays. Probably from the accident when I was just a youngin. I might be losing a marble or two soon. Or maybe I already have. I can't remember, haha!"

Dipper capped his water bottle. "Whoa, that's sad. It's… most likely true, but sad."

"Women always get mad—"

"That's a statement."

"—because I always tend to forget their birthdays, or our anniversaries, or anything annually important. Engineering has blueprints. Ah, I love the sound of grating metal and the smell of oil."

"That's a little… huuuuh." Dipper pointed in another direction. "I'm gonna walk that way, now. Goodbye, illusion."

"But I haven't remembered what love felt like until I practically adopte—"

Dipper was already out of hearing range and also out of sight. The illusion was definitely gone now. He sighed and kept moving forward. Conversations—he wanted actual ones. He wanted to hang out with his friends and be tired from work and go on in the real world. Everything the illusions were saying were practically recycled from what he's already heard, or were constructed by the mountain.

Only an hour had passed before he had found himself stuck in place. The illusion in front of him was new— _no, not new. Just unseen until now._

Dipper looked down at the younger-looking boy in front of him.

 _HooooooOOOOOLYYY—_

"Hey there, boy!" Gideon placed his hands on his chubby hips, "You haven't happen to see my pa anywhere, have ya?"

"—SHIT!" Dipper threw his hands up and yelled to no one in particular. "IT'S LIKE THE PAST IS OUT TO GET ME!"

"I 'member seeing 'im in his office, but I think I'm lost. I had just came back from a tour, ya see."

Conflicted emotions rose within him. On one hand, he genuinely felt pity for the boy and what he had forced himself to do to feel powerful. On the other hand, this boy tried to murder him and his great uncles and steal away his sister.

Dipper pressed his hands to his eyes and mumbled. "You're not real. I'll give you a can of beans if you disappear right now."

"But while you're here, where's my pumpkin? I've missed her!" Gideon blushed and held his cheeks. "Gosh, she's like the sweet, big daisy in a field of dandelions. Do ya think she would wanna go out sometime?"

"Aaah, stop!" Dipper winced and stuck his tongue out, thoroughly grossed out. Although all he could see was darkness, Gideon's voice rang in his ears. It was as if Dipper was imprisoned in a room full of bells, and the only frequency they chimed in was Gideon.

"We could go down to this lil' cafe tha' serves the best hot chocolate I've ever had. Mmm, lemme tell ya. I also know a store _up fifth_ street. Or maybe just a walk around the park would be nice…"

Gradually, his voice died off, and Dipper uncovered his eyes. He sighed in relief, before whipping out his pen and the journal.

"Fifth is up." Dipper scribbled, "Good thing I hadn't missed that one with his rambling."

He closed the journal and put the items away. His mind wandered dangerously close to his conflicted emotions about Gideon, but Dipper gritted his teeth. He pushed it to the back of his mind. He didn't want to waste time contemplating whether or not the fate of Gideon could have been changed. He didn't even know if Gideon was worth saving or not; he didn't know the boy at all. His great uncles clearly knew the younger blond boy better than he did, but they never showed any murderous intent toward him. So why was he so vicious and drunk on power?

Gah, he was musing again!

 _Stop musing, Pines!_

Dipper forced himself to start walking, and quickly found himself immersed in his path to find an exit. He tried to continuously turn left in hopes of finding the second direction, but it wasn't having any effect. The boy immediately moved on to another route, not giving himself a chance to dwell on it. He would change tactics every time the prior one was an apparent failure. His mind orbited around the four directions he possessed, and his heart was still bitter about the second direction. Once again, it was just his constant labor and the sound of the wind to fill the silence.

At this point, Dipper had come to figure out that the whispering wind was nothing more than the collection of people's voices who were trapped inside. But that was it, there was nothing they said that assisted him. If anything, he felt like he was far beyond what they could have been trying to work out. Trying to decode what they say wasn't very helpful, so in the journal, Dipper corrected his great uncle's theories.

Day and night flied by him, waving in a friendly manner, albeit appearing mockingly.

He took no notice.

 _ **Two days ago.**_

It was hard to pinpoint what exactly he was feeling right now. But it wasn't entirely unknown to him. He's felt this way before…

...when his parents died, and his city was desolated.

Dipper was curled up and pressed against a tree. The journal was wide open in front of him, and the meager fire spit out a few embers. He didn't know how long he was in that position, nor did he know how he ended up in it. He remembered waking up and simply going through his temporary routine. Although, he noticed that he had woken up far earlier than he usually did. It wasn't until he opened the journal when he discovered the date.

 _...20, 21, 22, 23, 24..._

 _It's Christmas._

The realization doused him in ice-cold water and froze him in place. This day meant for joy and camaraderie was going to be spent isolated and bleak. He usually celebrated every holiday with his family, and this would be the first time he couldn't.

Would his family party without him? Would they be with their friends this year? Would they open gifts and sing songs? Would they eat food and dance to music? Would they talk of good times and laugh about the bad? Would they hold off the partying because he was missing? Would they be waiting outside the mountain for him to come home?

 _Waiting... for nothing,_ Dipper blankly stared downward, _I don't… what am I… doing?_

He paid no mind to his rumbling stomach or dry throat. His hands felt frozen, all the way to the tips of his fingers. His lips were chapped and dry; he couldn't feel his toes. His face was beginning to hurt from being so exposed, but he couldn't find it in himself to move.

His survival instincts were ripping at him. _Feed the fire, maybe, or wrap yourself in more covers!_

Everything else felt numb.

An aching sadness lodged itself into his chest. His mind wasn't filled with anything, really… except for pessimism and paranoia. Each thought were sharpened arrows hitting him harder and harder. The sadness was beginning to grow and weigh more, sinking into his abdomen. He felt like crying, again.

How pathetic.

He ignored all the illusions that came and went. The voices in the breeze were nothing but a white noise. He chose not to stand up and search for an exit. The sky went from light to dark gradually, as if taunting him for missing the celebrations. He couldn't even hum a single jolly song to himself. The memories of spending it with his family were too much to bear.

"Piteous human. No wonder you couldn't defeat me."

The boy could practically feel the wind being blown onto him. Dipper peered upward at large ruby eyes belonging to the menacing figure. Nothing inside of him altered.

"Second is left."

Leaderaur was an enormous as Dipper remembered him. His pitch black fur contrasted greatly with the white snow. His taut muscles emphasized his greatness, but Dipper was sure that one touch would ruin any perception.

Meekly, he nodded, and wrote down the direction. The pen dropped from his grasp the moment he finished. His hand quivered in midair, so he tucked it back in between his knees and his chest. His whole body was shaking, now. His mind was a raging storm of emotions and thoughts, and his abdomen was beginning to squeeze and tense up.

 _I-I have the second direction._

He clutched onto himself. He should be happy.

 _I don't know what to do with them. What do I do? I might never get home at this rate._

His breathing increased rapidly, and suddenly he was falling on his side. His chest hurt a lot more, now. It seemed so difficult to breathe.

"Dipper, no… please… calm down…"

The voice glided into his head.

"It sucks to see you like this. Although, when we were younger, you were never the bravest boy around…"

Slowly, it overtook the cadence of his heart.

Mabel's voice soothed, "Remember when I had gum stuck in my hair, and I turned to you for help? Hehehe, you looked so lost, that I can't help but laugh about it now when I think about it. Sure, that time was bad, but there's no way we'd let that happen again, right? I made sure to eat these foods that make you gum-repellant. Trust me, I…"

His closed eyes slackened.

"...we were six and tried to make snow? It turned out that freezing water and crushing it didn't make it very soft or fun. We had scratches on our face trying to hold a snowball fight. Mom and dad scolded us since…"

He listened. All he could do was listen.

"...and I thought that teacher was the scariest person on earth! Turns out, she just had a lot of body pains. Comes with being old. No wonder they're so cranky. Oh, and remember the girl that gave you that crayon? You had the biggest blush, it was so…"

He only focused on that voice.

"...maybe if I was older, I would have been like, 'Well, sir, the water doesn't sing, now does it?'" her bubbly giggle reverberated, "But, no, all I could do was stutter gibberish. Geez, if I was gonna do that, I would at least wanna be clear with my strange talking…"

It seemed like ages before his breathing returned to normal. Dipper thought he had already passed out long before. Cracking his eyes open, he was met with a bittersweet sight.

"Dipper, don't give up. You would never give up." Mabel had one hand open and the other hand giving him a thumbs up. She shot him a bright grin. "We're waiting _down_ there, okay?"

For once in the hellish place, he felt glad. At such a familiar sight, he was able to rest peacefully. Before he surrendered to slumber, a thought resounded in his head.

 _Six fingers… down._

When Dipper woke up a couple of hours or so later, he picked up his pen and jotted down the direction.

He had all of the steps, now.

 _ **One day ago.**_

His focus was unbreakable. His mind was astute.

He would not yield.

"First is left," he recited to himself as he read his journal, "second is left, third is right, fourth is right, fifth was up, sixth was down…"

Dipper furrowed his eyebrows. "What's the pattern here? Is this all there is to escaping?"

He followed the directions multiple times, but he ended up in the same place. Dipper groaned in frustration. On his thirtieth try, he ran into another illusion, although this one had him skidding to a halt.

Dipper cringed at the new illusion in front of him. He hadn't seen her since the first day he was confined in the spell. She was not laying eerily still like he had seen her before. Instead, she was standing up straight with crossed arms. It was a very familiar sight, one that sent a pang of longing for his regular routines. Briefly, he wondered what was happening at home and work while he was away. It's only been about six days, right? He was sure nothing could drastically change _that_ much. He focused his attention on the fake person in front of him.

Pacifica eyed him carefully, her stare feeling as icy as the real one's. She spoke, "What's the matter with you? Have you always been so shallow?"

Dipper didn't know what he expected. She seemed as he remembered her.

"You wanna be strong? One of the strongest? You already know what true strength is."

"Yeah, in retrospect, it was a bit of a naive dream." Dipper scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "But It's still plausible, isn't it?"

She strode forward until she was right in front of him. Dipper nearly backed away until he remembered that she was only an illusion. Pacifica pointed a finger under his nose and declared, "'I think that true strength is when you are able to will yourself to do what you or others thought was impossible.'"

"Oh, right, I said that—"

"You said that, and if what you said is true, then you are already the strongest you can be." Pacifica didn't draw her hand back. In fact, her pointing seemed to be a little more intense. "It doesn't matter if you're the first, or second, or fifth, or _seventh_. You will always be how you always make yourself to be."

She finally stepped back to cross her arms. "Don't forget it, nerd."

Dipper wanted to reply, but she was gone in the blink of an eye. For some reason, her words caused a rush of motivation, but the fact she was fake brought him back down to earth. She was just a recycled image of his memories and perceptions of her true self. She would probably never say that!

Well, she has had her golden moments, no matter how awkward or harsh. She can be very inspiring when she wanted to be. Maybe she would say that?

 _It was a snowy night. Although it was cold, their hearts warmed them thoroughly. Pacifica turned to him, her eyes nearly replaced with just sparkles, and her pretty, pink lips moved, "Dipper, you—"_

"No, no, no!" Dipper waved his hands around with a burning face. The daydream dispersed into clouds of nothingness.

It happened again.

It happened again! Ack, these imaginations!

"Must be… biological. Yeah, that's it. Just the work of hormones or something."

He narrowed his mind back to what she had said, along with her fierce pointing.

 _Seven… up._

"Shoot, I already passed my twenty-four hour mark." Dipper murmured to himself. Now he had seven directions to incorporate into his escape. He logged it into the journal and then set himself on his way. With the added direction, he now had seven different steps he needed to recite in each attempt of leaving. It only meant he was using up more time for each trial, but it couldn't be help. Most had to fail, but there was one that _had_ to succeed. He wouldn't stop until he found it.

And then, he did, several hours later. He failed, sure, but he did. He was so sure of it.

He looked once…

...and found himself lost...

...but a smile was on his face.

"So that's how it works, huh?"

It was another visual thing. One look behind him had him restarting his progress. So, if he went straight for the goal without looking back, there was a high chance that he'd finally get out. Just the idea made him giddy inside. Dipper grinned and bounced in place, but his weariness seemed to claw him down to the ground. He compromised to himself, "I'll have a good sleep, and I'm out by the morning!"

 _ **Today.**_

—was going to be the day he broke free from the enchantment. The sun was barely over the horizon, meaning it was morning and behind his twenty-four hour mark. There were only seven directions he needed to worry about. He looked around at the endlessly similar setting, and exhaled his troubles. "This is it."

Dipper began moving. He passed by a myriad of images and heard a variety voices, yet none were what he was searching for. After what may have been an hour, he stumbled upon it. His eyes fell upon the illusion of his Grunkle Ford.

Dipper said to himself, "Left."

And so he turned left and kept walking straight ahead. He was met with more individual illusions, but after half an hour, he discovered his next target. The illusion of Leaderaur.

"Left."

Dipper made another left and didn't stray off of his path. This next one took a little bit longer, but eventually, he located the illusion he needed. Wendy smiled at him with her hands on her hips.

"Right."

His feet turned on its heels and led him to the right. Soon enough, he was brought to the image of Giffany. She was playing with her hair by twirling a small thing of electricity around her head.

"Right."

Again, he went in that specific direction and never looked back. The voices seemed to be getting louder, or it might have been his heart beating out of excitement. He believed that he was going to make it out! He believe he was going home!

Gideon was sitting down with a yo-yo in his hand. Dipper ignored the innocence of the picture and continued on his way.

"Up."

Dipper started treading upwards, his legs a little bit burning now, but he couldn't stop. It was cold, the area was the same as it's always been, but this time around, Dipper felt wholly exhilarated. His grin widened when he saw his sister waving excitedly at him. The moment he reached the illusion, he almost high-fived it, but caught himself just in time. The boy chuckled to himself and regained his attention on just his trek.

"Down."

Bracing himself, he turned around as he continued walking. Miraculously, nothing seemed to have ruined whatever progress he might be having. He wasn't sure how, but he could just _sense_ that he was getting somewhere. His entire being was just thrilled to prevail over the spell of the mountain.

Pacifica, in all her uptightness, was waiting for him to arrive at her spot. She nodded, a smile on her face, but hers seemed… lackluster. Mystified, his eyebrows twitched and drew together, but he didn't halt in place. He was on the last step, after all.

"Up."

And so he went. He went upward and never looked back.

His feet crunched against the snow. The wind was biting his ear, and the cold was nibbling his cheeks. But he endured it and willed himself to keep going.

"Hey, Dipper!"

"Dipper!"

"Dipper?"

"Hello!"

"Dipper, what's up?"

The voices of the illusions were behind him. There was a great temptation to turn around, but he fixed his face forward. This hasn't happened in any previous endeavors, either. He's never had this many illusions calling him from behind before.

He didn't stop walking.

"Dip-dop!"

"What's going on, kid?"

"Oh, Dipper."

"Sup, Dipper."

"Dipper."

His breathing increased rapidly, and not just because of his continuous walking. That… that last voice stuck out like a sore thumb. He hadn't heard that voice in two years.

Was it really...?

No, it wasn't!

"Dipper, turn around." His mother beckoned, "We're right here for you Dipper. It's okay."

"It's been too long. We can be a whole family again!" his father boasted. Dipper could hear the grin in his voice. "If you're late, I'm gonna end up eating most of the stew. I know how much you like it!"

"Oh, come on, dear. Leave some for our son."

"He's gotta get through me first like a true warrior!"

Dipper could feel tears gather in the corner of his eyes. He marched forward, and it felt like the voices grew more desperate.

"Dipper, you're leaving us?"

"Are you mad about the stew? Come on, I was just joshing."

"I'll be sad if you go."

"Don't be like that, champ!"

Dipper heaved his breaths as his feet hauled him forward. The voices continued, but he drowned them out with the rhythm from his own heart. His gaze hardened on the view in front of him, despite how unchanging it was.

"You aren't them."

Dipper sucked in a breath. He raised his head and pushed forward resolutely.

"And I know that they wouldn't want me stuck in this place, so screw you, I'm moving forward."

He refused to turn his head. He didn't want to see an image. He wanted to find reality.

* * *

" _Just a little longer… I'm almost—"_

 _It was blinding._

 _It was—_

—freedom.

Dipper blinked, once, then twice. He patted himself frantically and checked over the surroundings. He was in one piece, and he was no longer peering up or gazing down a slope. His bag slid down his back and onto the snow. Quickly, he marked a couple of trees with his sword and sprinted around the vicinity. Euphoria filled his being as he anticipated the results.

The trees were still sliced, and there were the bottoms of his shoes imprinted all over the snow.

No more perfection.

No more illusions.

"I-I…" reality hit him all at once. He whispered to himself, "I did it."

Not a second later before his sword slipped from his hand, and he was jumping around with joy.

"I did it! _I did it!_ Ahahahaha! Aaaaah!" He pumped his fist and plopped into the snow. Then he sprung back up onto his feet, "I got through! I can't believe it! But I'm here! And I'm still talking to myself! But who cares?! I'm free!"

He gave a happy shout of success, before being hit with exhaustion. His knees gave out, and he found himself kneeling on the snow-covered ground. Even after the horrid experience, he managed to utter, "Geez, I'll put this at one of the least fun things to sightsee."

Suddenly, the tips of a pair of shoes were in front of him. His eyes trailed upwards to find Bill Cipher gazing at him with disbelief. Tentatively, Dipper rose both his hands… and roughly grabbed the other boy's legs.

The brunet let out a happy gasp. Bill retracted them and flew up into the air.

"What in the hell are you doing?!"

"You're _warm._ Not an illusion! I'M NOT CRAZY!"

"I could kick you in the face. Would that be good, too?"

"And you're still a douchebag! Amazing!"

Bill laughed. "You've actually gone insane. That's hilarious. I do remember telling Shooting Star that you needed to be checked."

"Mabel!" Dipper's expression snapped into worry. It was quite amusing to see the sudden flip. "Mabel, oh my gosh!"

Unsurely, Bill looked behind him, but there was no one else but them. Dipper bounced on the spot, "Is she alive? Is she okay? Is she injured?!"

"Oh, yeah, no." Bill frowned. Although it pained him to say this, the desire to tell the lie was too strong. "She's dead."

"She's what—"

" _Dead_. Super dead, beyond repair. Couldn't even recognize her."

A beat.

"...No fucking way." Dipper breathed out. It felt like the whole world was collapsing on top of him. Bill whistled, "Someone's gotten a loose tongue."

They stared at each other for a few intense moments, until the prince burst out into a cackle. He clutched at his sides and pointed a very offensive finger toward the other boy. Dipper broke out of his state of shock to swing his sword at the blond, keen on slicing off a limb.

Bill got bored very quickly, so he smacked Dipper upside his head to get him to stop. The brunet tumbled to the ground, sputtering snow, "What the sh—"

"Just close your damn mouth, okay? Shut up."

"Fuck you."

 _Shooting Star. For her. For Shooting Star. Don't mutilate her brother._

He didn't know how well this would work with Dipper so mentally unstable. A pitiful human like him couldn't stand just a week of being immured in a magical deathtrap?

This wasn't going to fix him completely, but it would sure make him less annoying and antsy. TLC from his family and friends and a couple of weeks of reality would cure him of his slight insanity.

Focusing his power, he locked eyes onto the boy and brought him to sleep. However, Dipper only saw a shade of grey descend upon their surroundings, making him jump onto his feet. His voice slightly quivered with fear, "N-No… this isn't the mountain's power, is it?"

"No, idiot, it's mine."

He drew his hand inward, bringing out Dipper's rampaging mind. The surroundings around them changed, but not wholly. It was a swirling mess of snow and the town itself. Duplicates of his family and friends circled them both, their voices ringing in their ears. Bill snapped his fingers, and it went quiet, but not inanimate. He grouched, "Noisy."

"What is this?" Dipper reached out to touch one of the clones, but they only disseminated. Bill stood by, watching, "It's called getting you to calm down so you can stop being so stupid. We don't have that much time to dilly-dally."

"I don't get it. How does this _help_ me?"

"Makes you see that you're running high on lunacy for no reason." Bill swept his hand, and the illusions disappeared. "You're not in the dumb mountain anymore. You're free."

Dipper glared at him suspiciously. "How would you know?"

" _I've_ been in it before!" Bill narrowed his eyes, "It wasn't fun. It took me maybe a few weeks or so."

"You have…?" Dipper was starting to breathe easier. He supposed he shouldn't be _too_ surprised. Bill has had a lot of time on his hands, after all. Dipper looked around. "Took you that long to escape?"

"No, to get through."

He trained his eyes back onto him. "Through…?"

"Escaping wasn't that difficult. It was more or less doing it in reverse." Bill said smoothly, rolling his wrist. Dipper shook his head, "What are you even talking about?! There's only one way out!"

"Nah, not really." Bill clicked his tongue. "Can we move on now?"

Finally, Dipper felt as though he regained his senses. And he was thoroughly annoyed with Bill. "What's the big hurry? I'm still confused as to why you're even here!"

"I was going to assist you since I figured you were still trapped in this unbearable place." He scanned the vicinity. "Yet it seemed you had escaped on your own."

"You? Help me?" Dipper narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Why?"

"Evidence."

Vexed, he questioned, "Evidence? Against what?"

Bill grew equally piqued. "Against your imposter."

"My _what?_ " Dipper's eyes widened in shock. Bill chuckled at his expression, a sort of gale that was empty of mirth. He just couldn't believe how slow he had been to realize before.

"Someone has been impersonating you."

A moment passed, and Bill briefly wondered if the brunet had hear him.

Dipper said simply, "You're lying."

"No." Bill replied.

Dipper asked, hopeful, "Then you're kidding?"

" _No._ " Bill replied again, annoyed this time.

"...Just my luck." Dipper rubbed his face. "I can't catch a break."

"Stop whining and start solving."

The fourteen-year-old glowered, but bit his tongue. He took a moment to recollect himself and decided to start the gears in his head again.

"Who is it?"

"Probably this hideous, arrogant creature named the Shapeshifter." Bill shoved his hands into his pockets. "I remember seeing him a long while ago. Don't know what happened to him, but I'm guessing he's out causing chaos."

"The Shapeshifter?" Dipper looked to the side subconsciously, digging through his memories. "What makes you say him?"

"He's the only one who could be able to perfectly imitate something or someone while rising little suspicion." The blond was in deep thought. The Shapeshifter was made of dark energy and didn't possess any way of cloaking it. So he should have been detected by one of the older Soul Fighters, or even the Northwest brat.

 _Unless..._

Dipper piped up, "I think I've read that before in the journal."

He pulled out the leather-covered book and flipped through the pages. The name caught his attention almost immediately. This was the page.

"Cryogenic tube…?" Dipper skimmed, "It says here that Grunkle Ford and McGucket trapped him in there."

"Then I know who we're finding next," Bill looked behind him, "and it seems they're not very far off."

"They're here? What are they doing here?"

"Why don't you quit your interrogating so we can go find out?" Bill didn't wait for a response as he soared forward. Dipper had half a mind to start another screaming match, but this current predicament seemed more important at the moment. He sprinted and fell into step with the blond's floating. A minute hadn't even passed before Dipper opened his mouth.

"I just realized."

"Oh, great."

"Instead of coming for me, why didn't you go straight for the Shapeshifter?"

"You think I wouldn't have done that first? I can't find his mind. It seems to be heavily guarded, probably by dark magic." _Which might mean that Adrian had struck a deal with him and amplified his ability to blend in,_ Bill added mentally. His lips curled in distaste.

"Then why not go to Mabel?"

"It seems she's close to her friends in an unfamiliar house, so I'm assuming she's taking refuge there. You wouldn't want her to get caught up in this next skirmish, would you, Pine Tree?" Bill held a mocking accusation against him, and Dipper scowled. "Of course not."

"Good to know." The blond asked sarcastically, "Any other thought-provoking questions?"

He wasn't expecting an answer, but Bill got one anyway. Of course he did, this boy was just a fountain of curiosity.

"Say, you're really old, right?" Dipper began, "Who cursed this mountain?"

The blond gave him a deadpan look. "A big-ass baby. Both big and an ass… and also a baby."

"Seriously?!" Dipper perked up, but then relaxed. "Actually, nevermind. It's hard to believe things you say."

"You're just paranoid."

"For a good reason."

"Oh, fine. Don't believe me. It's your loss!" Bill sang as he rolled his eye, "And the mountain is supposed to keep people out, sure. But the baby is also a narcissist. He just loves putting challenges so people can get to his power or whatever. That's why it's only a deathtrap if you don't know what you're doing. He's not even that great..."

"I guess I didn't wonder why an enchanted landmark meant to trap and starve people would have an escape route…"

There was a sharp sound in the distance, and suddenly something was cutting through the coverage of the forest. Dipper yelped and dodged an orb of light that whizzed past his face. He held his warmed cheek and shouted, "Who in the heck was that?!"

"Who do you think?"

"Dipper?" a familiar voice called out, "What are you doing out here?"

"Grunkle Ford!" Dipper nearly ran up to him and hugged him, but he stopped in his tracks. His great uncle was still holding his soul weapon in his hands, after all. Fiddleford was right behind him. The two older men scrutinized the brunet. "I-It's me. The real me."

Ford eyed him dubiously, then exchanged eye contact with Bill, who had no distinct signs of emotion on his face. He trained his eyes back to his grandnephew. "You're… Dipper—?"

"Yes!"

The gun was instantly pointed at him, causing Dipper to gulp. Ford asked, "What's your real name?"

"Huh?"

"Stan and I were there when Dipper and Mabel were born. We know your real name." Ford tilted his gun a little. "So spit it out, or I'll—"

"It's Mason!"

A beat.

Then a snort. Bill facepalmed and gave a boisterous laugh. "That's so lame."

Grunkle Ford lowered his weapon and just stared at his grandnephew. Dipper beamed at the action, but the look on his great uncle's face made him worried.

"I knew it was a bit odd that the forest dwellers had spotted the creature, but no one in town has seen him. It must mean that the creature is disguising himself as… someone..." Ford trailed off in a dour tone. His hands began to tremble, albeit it was imperceptible. The gun vanished in a burst of light. Fear seeped into Ford's voice. "If you're here… then…"

Like lightning, he brought out his crystal communicator and dialed a specific pattern. Then he put it up to his ear and muttered, "Come on… come on…"

Dipper was somewhat confused why his great uncle was so uneasy and grim. Ford perked up the moment his call was answered. "Stanley?"

There was a low groan on the other side, one that only Ford could hear. Out of nowhere, Dipper was dreading the possibilities of what has become of his other great uncle. Grunkle Ford was acting strange, and things just didn't feel right.

"Stanley? Are you there?"

" _...here… 'm here…"_

Dipper strained to listen, but he couldn't hear his great uncle on the crystal. His voice was too feeble. He poked his great uncle in front of him. "What's going on? What happened to Grunkle Stan?"

Ford ignored him and tried to get more out of his brother. "What happened? Are you home?"

" _Wound… was bleeding…"_ there was a slow inhale, _"Drank red, now less bleeding."_

Despite the slurring and his weak voice, Ford understood perfectly. "Where is he now?"

He didn't even have to explain who he was talking about for his twin to understand. Besides, Stan _knew_ that the murderer was not Dipper, even when the physical appearance of his grandnephew was suddenly stabbing him in the stomach. It was such a normal and calm moment, Stan thought he had died on the spot. He had been watching the television; his grandnephew was sitting on the floor in front of him. All of a sudden, there was a spreading warmth across his lap, and the excruciating pain kicked in not long after. He couldn't speak or ask or utter anything coherent, for there was blood gargling out of his mouth.

He was lucky that the monster's overconfidence assumed that the old man would bleed out.

" _Dunno…"_

"Alright, I'm coming to help you. Hang in there."

"' _Kay."_

Ford hung up and took a composed breath. "Dipper, Cipher, I need you to find the Shapeshifter. McGucket, you need to tell the police what's going on."

"I was going to do that already. Thanks for nothing, Sixer." Bill saluted and started to walk away.

"Grunkle Ford," Dipper stepped forward, anxious and frowning, "is Grunkle Stan okay?"

Ford felt his breath hitch as he finally confronted the boy's concerned expression. He kneeled down to Dipper's height and pulled him into an embrace.

"I'm so glad you're safe." He swallowed down his bubbling emotions. "You look like a dirty mess, but you got out all by yourself. I'm so proud of you."

He leaned back and moved his hand to his shoulder. A reassuring smile crossed his visage, yet the wrinkle in his forehead said otherwise. "But right now, things aren't over yet. I'm trusting you to get to the Shapeshifter before anything else happens."

Dipper was quite very puzzled at this point. Why was he so pensive about this creature? What happened to Grunkle Stan?

He felt like voicing his questions. Instead, he nodded firmly. Ford nodded back, before speeding away through the trees. Dipper had to blink and register what just happened. That was the fastest he's seen his great uncle travel.

Another hand placed itself on his shoulder. Dipper looked behind him and saw McGucket. He cocked his head, "Shall we leave?"

"Yeah." Dipper softly slapped his face a few times. "Gotta do this. Gotta focus."

"That's the spirit, kid."

Dipper and McGucket had to catch up to Bill, who hadn't faltered in his speed. Dipper began, "So, why were you and Grunkle Ford out here?"

"It was a hunch. Almost like my memory was jogged at the right time. Something seemed to click after the characteristics of your imposter became more narrow." McGucket demonstrated with his hands, "So I checked it out myself, and found that the cryogenic tube had been broken. I went to bring your great uncle to help me investigate."

"Oh…"

"And while we're getting newly informed..." The older man immediately inquired the prince, "where have you been?"

Curtly, Bill replied, "Across the world."

McGucket asked, "How did you know when to come back?"

"Shooting Star contacted me."

"Shooting Star…? That's Mabel, right?"

"No, it's my pet rock."

"Yes, it's Mabel, Mr. McGucket." Dipper affirmed.

Fiddleford nodded, "Well, it's a good thing, I suppose. We'll need more help. Pacifica's been reluctant to reach out and the people are feeling on edge."

"Why?" Dipper arched an eyebrow, his bewilderment coming back at full force. "Is my imposter that out of place? What has he done?"

Fiddleford's eyes widened, and he found himself unable to speak. Dipper didn't know what has been going on?

He sent a worried look towards the floating prince, who seemed unperturbed. The blond jeered, "I suppose they decided to cast you aside. Too bad it's not really you in there."

Neither did Bill?!

"No, that's not what's been happening," the engineer frowned, "Mabel didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Bill squinted his eye accusingly. Fiddleford responded slowly, "There has been seven unsolved murder cases within the past week, with most of them having happened at the same time. The town's morale is dropping."

The two boys halted where they were. Dipper turned on his heel to read the older man's face for any lies. There was only an apologetic expression meeting Dipper's bemused one. Unbeknownst to either of them, Bill's countenance darkened. His feet touched the snow, and his hard stare was on the ground. He could feel the cold realization seep into his skin.

"S-Seven murders?" Dipper's brain stopped functioning for a few seconds. He felt his jaw drop and could only utter, "How?"

"Well, since he's disguised as you, he's had access to everyone's information and free rein of the town."

"That's... _very_ convenient." Dipper started with a suspicious tone, hooking his chin with a finger. "And I just happened to be tossed inside an enchanted landmark by a weird… _Kill Billy_."

It hit him like a ton of bricks.

"It was him! He tossed me inside and must have made it seem like I got out!" Dipper ran his hand down his face. "I can't believe it."

"You figured it out yourself, and you still can't believe it?" Bill growled, "Whatever. That's the Shapeshifter for you, I guess. He gets around."

"What's got you so worked up now?" Dipper glared. Bill gritted his teeth, "Well, if you haven't realized already: one, the Shapeshifter was _you,_ and _you_ live with a _family._ I wonder who's in that family? Oh, right, Shooting Star is! No wonder she was terrified… that little shit was right there next to her."

"Oh, no, Mabel…" Dipper anxiously glanced downward, horrible thoughts springing into his mind. Bill held up his hand, "Two, I'm gonna take a wild guess and suppose that she was next on his hit list. He may have even tried already, and she wasn't where he wanted her."

Grief struck Dipper at those words. His frightened expression only pissed off the other boy more. "And lastly, we're still here, dancing to our favorite songs, instead of killing him. So now, I'm leaving."

The brunet tensed up. "Bill, wait."

Despite himself, said boy turned. " _What?_ "

"We can't just march in there willy-nilly. We need some sort of plan. What if he escapes? What if he hurts someone else?"

"I don't care if he hurts someone else, and I'm not letting him get away."

"What if he takes Mabel hostage?"

Unsurprisingly, Bill was silenced at the thought. Dipper folded his arms. "We need to draw him away from the crowd and somewhere secluded."

"Yeah, well, I hope you can think on the way. I'm not staying here anymore." Bill breezed by, not looking back for a reaction. Fiddleford, who was deathly quiet, now interjected, "He's very doting."

Dipper snorted. "Isn't that the truth? It seems like he grew a heart while I was gone, too. Well, a very _biased_ heart."

He blinked, before shooting a scowl in the older man's direction.

"Is there any other dark, sentient beings you've forgotten that we have to take care of?" Dipper demanded. Fiddleford shook his head rapidly, "No, no!"

He paused. "Well, I don't think so."

"HURRY UP!"

At the shout, they both jumped a few inches above their spot. Dipper grunted, but they simultaneously followed him out. A sudden sinking feeling weighed down in his chest. Just what happened while he was away?

"Yes, hello? I need to speak to the sheriff."

Dipper glanced up to find Fiddleford on the crystal communicator. Recognition passed through his face, and he dug in his backpack for his own crystal. He needed to call his colleague and warn her about his impersonator.

* * *

 **Until next time!**


End file.
